


Leave the Light On

by Ginger_Pop, jlcamp09



Series: A Light in the Darkness [3]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-19
Updated: 2015-06-30
Packaged: 2018-04-05 03:50:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 66,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4164633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ginger_Pop/pseuds/Ginger_Pop, https://archiveofourown.org/users/jlcamp09/pseuds/jlcamp09
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lock the doors. Leave the lights on. For once the sun is set, no one is safe. This new danger threatens not only Kirkwall, but all of Thedas. The Inquisition must now reunite before the entire world falls to chaos and ruin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Our third story in a series, in case anyone is like "What is going on???"

Cassandra could’ve been knocked over with a feather to see the elf standing there, leaning his elbow so casually on the bar, that shit-eating grin on his face. It had been nearly five years since the defeat of Corypheus, when Solas had mysteriously disappeared. She had only seen him once since that time, when he visited her in a dream. She’d thought of him on occasion after that first dream, when he’d congratulated her on being pregnant with her son, but she was now ashamed to admit that she hadn’t thought of him in quite some time.

“I barely recognize you,” she breathed, taking a step towards him. After being gone for so long, she never expected to see him here in Kirkwall, in the Hanged Man of all places. Was it really him? She drew up short, staring uncertainly at him. “Am I dreaming? Is this the Fade?” she asked, straining her mind to remember when she had fallen asleep. No, she was almost certain that she hadn’t. 

He chuckled and stood up straight, walking over to her and pinched her arm between two long fingers. “You are awake, I assure you. And as for barely recognizing me, yes, I imagine it would be rather difficult as I have gone through some changes. To put it lightly. And you, I am pleased to see you are doing well. With a thriving family as well.” His look turned somber, “I would do all that I can to aid you in keeping them safe.”

Despite Solas’s usual ominous attitude, Cassandra couldn’t help but to smile. “It is good to see you,” she said sincerely. “Varric and I were just having dinner with Bull and Dorian. You must join us. Then we can discuss the matter at hand.” At his nod, she picked up the bottles of wine and gestured for him to follow her up the stairs. She nudged the door open with her hip and smirked at her husband, “You will never guess who I found downstairs.”

Varric peered over at the door, his eyes narrowing at the stranger following his wife until he realized who exactly it was. His eyes widened. “Chuckles? Is that really you?! We thought you would be on the other half of Thedas right now! Where have you been these past five years?” 

Dorian was shocked, but quickly recovered. “Solas,” he said, the corner of his lips pulling upward, “You have  hair . Good man, I didn’t know you had it in you!”

Solas chuckled and moved to take an empty seat next to the mage. “Astute as always, I see. As for where I have been, I suppose the easiest answer would be traveling. Once Corypheus was defeated, there was no reason for me to stay with the Inquisition.”

Varric pressed his lips together, not buying it. “And you didn’t have enough time to say goodbye? At least have had a drink at the party.”

Solas smiled faintly at that. “My deepest apologies. I hadn’t realized my absence would cause such an issue. I had urgent matters to attend to and time had been of the essence. However, I am here now. Through my travels, I have picked up on the most disturbing news of these creatures called Draak. Their reach since you have killed their creator has become uncontrollable. The reports of missing people has increased in the surrounding areas, but the most horrifying revelation is that the number of missing children exceeds any man or woman taken. The cries of their parents are heard far.”

Bull stared at Solas, narrowing his eye slightly as he chewed. He swallowed and reached for a drink before he spoke. “So you mean to tell me you’re hearing all that in the Fade or what?” he asked skeptically. He already didn’t like where this conversation was going and he was suddenly reminded of how Solas always had a weird way of knowing things, how the mage enjoyed exploring the Fade. “Or do you have little demon friends in there telling you things?”

Solas chuckled, letting a grin spread across his face as suddenly there was a puff of smoke in the middle of the table.

“I thought I was your friend too?” The spirit said as he tipped his head back to peer at Bull from under his hat.

Dorian wasn’t expecting that and jumped backwards out of his chair. “Vishante kaffas!” he cried and bit his finger from keeping himself from shouting out further. “Cole?!”

Bull dropped his fork to rub at his face. “You know shit’s getting weird when you two show up,” he muttered before he dropped his hand with a sigh. “Yeah, we’re good, kid.”

Cassandra’s mouth fell open, but before she could speak, Anthony jumped up in his chair and leaned over the table to peer at the spirit. “How you do that?!” he demanded, his eyes wide with wonder. “You go POOF! How you do that?!”

Cassandra sighed and grabbed her son, trying to pull him back into his chair, but he waved a hand dismissively at her and wiggled out of her grip, never tearing his eyes away from Cole.

Varric couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his face and he relaxed back in his chair. “Hey, Kid. Still haven’t learned about knocking, huh? You been staying out of trouble?”

Cole shrugged his shoulders, turning to look at little Anthony, smiling at the wonder on the child’s face, but he looked away, down at the table. “Burning, bright, full of wonder at the big world. Everything a need to explore, to taste, to see. Wrapped in love from all around.” He held a hand to his head, “The cries of the parents are so much worse and the children.” He closed his eyes. “I hear them for a time, their pain so great and then... nothing. It is as if they die. But not. They are not what they are supposed to be and it hurts.” He wrapped his arms around himself as he stood up and stepped down off the table, moving to go sit on the floor, his gangly legs folding up underneath him.

“So they are making more,” Cassandra frowned, a chill running through her at Cole’s words. Part of her had hoped that those being taken were not being tortured, turned into more of the half-dragon creatures they’d encountered in the unexplored parts of the Bone Pit. She watched as Anthony scurried around the table and climbed into Cole’s lap. “Anthony, come finish your dinner.”

“I done!” he insisted and looked at Cole again, his little fingers running along the brim of Cole’s hat. He gave a grin and pulled, stumbling back with Cole’s hat in his hand. He smile widened and he plopped it on his own head, but it sank down to cover his eyes and nose. “It dark now!”

“Ugh,” Cassandra groaned, but didn’t push the issue. Sometimes it was just easier to give in. Besides, they had more important matters at hand. “But how do we stop them? Who knows how great their numbers could be. Once again, it seems we face an impossible task.”

“It is uncertain at the moment how many number in their ranks, but they are spreading. They seem to be keeping to the dark, the shadows. It is only a matter of time before they evolve or grow brave enough to venture out,” Solas said as he leaned forward, steepling his hands in front of him, “It seems that they used to be of a hive mind. You killed the “queen” without it, they are running about focusing on their main needs which are food, survival and reproduction of the species. Something that is hardwired into them.”

“So are they mindless creatures acting on pure instinct? Or are they intelligent and organized?” Bull wondered aloud before he fixed his gaze on Solas. “Either way, those things are dangerous. They made us hear things that weren’t really there, tried to trick us when we were searching for Anthony.” He managed to suppress the shiver that ran down his spine. “I really don’t like the thought of those things crawling all over the city every time the sun goes down.”

Varric growled. “Yeah, not to mention the red lyrium we found in the mines down there. Shit. They seemed intelligent to me and if they are doing organized things like kidnapping and then changing them? It doesn’t bode well,” he said as he leaned back.

Dorian snorted, “They all need to die. Every single one of them. If I am understanding Cole correctly, the person, what really makes them a person, fails to exist once they consume that blood. Once they break that spirit and take the first sip, it’s over.” It was more unnerving than he wanted to admit and he reached out under the table, placing his hand on Bull’s knee, giving it a firm squeeze. 

Solas nodded. “In some respect, they are intelligent. In hive settings, it is not uncommon when the queen dies that the colony tries to rear a replacement queen, but these are hardly bees. Who knows what could happen if they try to do that? If it will have the same agenda as the original mastermind or if it will simply be a monster more terrifying than any dragon we have faced.” He leaned over the plate in front of him. “Considering the possibilities, they could be more terrifying than any dragon we have faced thus far.”

“No shit,” Bull rumbled as he pushed away his empty plate and sat back, placing his hand over Dorian’s. “But so far the only idea we’ve come up with is to blow the place up. Which… really isn’t possible,” he finished lamely. “Not when so much of that cavern is beneath the city. We’d bring down more than half of Kirkwall in the destruction, and even then we don’t know if we’d get all the slimy bastards.”

Cassandra got up again as baby Lily began to wail. “And there are far too many of them to fight one-on-one. We are grossly outnumbered,” she said as she picked up the baby girl and shushed her, bouncing her gently on her shoulder as she sat back down at the table. A soft smile pulled at her lips as the baby quieted and gurgled happily. She caught the look in Solas’s eyes and she huffed at the frilly pink dressing gown her baby wore. “Yes, Josephine sent this, in case you were wondering. If she does not stop sending such things, I will have to write her a sternly worded letter,” she said as she held the baby in one arm and picked up her fork with her free hand to finish her dinner.

Cole tried to pick his hat up off of the child in front of him, while calmly saying, “That would not stop her. She is upset that the Inquisitor has not expressed interest in any of the suitors presented to her. She thought for sure that she would find someone after sealing the breach for good.” The spirit dropped his hands and gave up on his hat.

“Indeed, we must find a more delicate solution to ending this problem. If we do not, life as we know it may cease to exist,” Solas said quietly, “We have worked far too hard to see life fall to this threat.”

Bull nodded. “We just have to figure out a way to do it without hurting anyone else in the process, if we can.” He glanced at Cole out of the corner of his eye and his mouth twitched in a smirk. Anthony had both hands on the hat, keeping it firmly on his head, leaning away, though still sitting in Cole’s lap. 

“How you go poof? I wanna go poof!” Anthony declared before a mischievous little smile split his face. “Then I scare Mommy. Or Uncle Dorian.” He seemed to realize he was speaking out loud and peeked out from under the brim of Cole’s hat to bat his eyes at Dorian and gave a big, toothy grin.

Dorian narrowed his eyes at the little boy, “Rude.”

Cole tilted his head at the small boy in his lap. “Why would you want to scare them? They were scared for you in the mines. Please, Maker, let him survive. Not again. I don’t want to bury my child again.”

Dorian frowned. “Cole! That’s enough,” he scolded, squeezing Bull’s hand. He had been thinking of that, when he and Anthony had been walking the mines. Don’t take Anthony. Cassandra couldn’t bear to bury another child. He couldn’t bear it either. Anthony was like a son to him.

Cassandra was glad Dorian spoke up, because she was certain she would have been more harsh with Cole. She set her fork down, her appetite gone. Those Draak kept taking children because they were easy prey, because they were easy to break. She shuddered in disgust and hugged her baby a little tighter, closing her eyes. Maker’s breath, it hurt to even think about burying another child. She could not go through that again. 

She opened her eyes, a fierce gleam in them and a bite in her voice, “We must find a way to stop the Draak. I swear to the Maker, I will not lose another.”

Varric huffed, reaching over to Cassandra and placed his hand on top of his little girl’s head, ruffling the hair there. “No we’re not,” he said firmly, then looked to Solas, “So, do you have a plan or will we be winging it as usual?”

“I cannot say at this point in time, we will have to figure out a plan. We will need more help,” Solas said as he looked down at his plate. 

Bull raised an eyebrow. “Not many people are willing to put their lives on the line,” he said. “Besides us and the Chargers, we’re gonna be hard pressed to find anyone. We’d need an army to take on all of those things.” He gave a heavy sigh and rubbed at his forehead. “Whatever we do, we need to do it quick. People are going to start panicking if this keeps on like it is. They’re already too scared to travel after dark.”

Varric leaned forward on the table. “You know, we all know someone with enough power and influence to get things done quickly. I could write a letter and I would be willing to bet five royals that we would have help before the week is out.” 

“And who would you be writing to?” Cassandra asked, giving her husband a look. He always seemed to know someone for everything. 

He grinned at his wife. “Don’t worry. No one you will want to punch me over this time. The Inquisitor might be interested in this though. She has enough resources and influence that she could help us out.” He smiled, “Unless you would like to call me a conniving little shit again.”

“You  are a conniving little shit,” she deadpanned. 


	2. Chapter 2

Evelyn Trevelyan was more than happy to receive Varric’s letter. In fact, she was downright excited. Things had been too quiet around Skyhold as of late, and any excuse to get away from Josephine at this point was welcome. She grew weary of the politics and not enough fighting; she missed the adventures. 

She grinned widely as she and Blackwall entered the Hanged Man, the tavern she’d heard Varric speak so fondly of. She saw him sitting at a table, his back towards the door when she entered. “Look, Blackwall,” she said loudly, “it’s everyone’s favorite dwarf.”

Varric dropped his quill, a grin spreading across his face as he turned around, moving to stand up quickly. “Well well, if it isn’t her supreme Inquisitorialness! You got here fast! What did you do, read the letter and immediately mount up?” he asked as he came over to them, nodding to Blackwall who grinned at him.

“Just about,” he said. “Barely heard what she said before she dragged me out of the stables and shoved me on a horse. I’m not sure she was even properly dressed, hopping out the door with one boot on. Didn’t want Lady Josephine the time to come after us. She was arranging to have at least three more suitors visit Skyhold.”

Evelyn flung her arms around Varric and dramatically cried, “You saved me!” She hugged him tightly, a genuine smile growing on her face. She’d missed the members of her inner circle. It had been far too long since she’d seen them. She pulled back and laughed lightly at herself. “Sorry. You have no idea how trying it is with Josephine these days. She’s sweet and she means well, but Andraste’s tits, I’m sick of meeting these suitors she insists on presenting to me. Why is it necessary for me to be married? Like I can’t do my job without a man at my side. It’s bullshit.”

“Now Inquisitor, you know perfectly well the only reason she wants you to get married is so she can plan another wedding and quite possibly babies. You should see half the stuff that she’s sent for Lily and Anthony. And the shoes! How many pairs of shoes does a baby need anyway?” Varric laughed, hugging her back before he stepped away. 

Evelyn’s freckled nose wrinkled and her eyes went wide for a moment before she shook herself. “Babies,” she hissed. She laughed again. “Anyone else’s babies are fine. None for me, thanks. I have enough to do without all that. But speaking of which, we’d love to meet your little ones. Someone,” she said, jerking her head in Blackwall’s direction, “keeps going on about making more of those rocking horses.”

“Without more demons to fight, I have to keep busy somehow,” Blackwall huffed, but grinned widely, “But yeah, love to see the little ones. I’ll bet Anthony is growing like a weed.” 

Varric laughed and nodded, “You have no idea. Come on, Cassandra will be happy to see you.” He motioned for them to follow him up the stairs and he paused outside the door, knocking before he opened it a crack. “Are you decent? We’ve got company who want to see the munchkins,” he asked, knowing Cassandra liked to nurse around this time of day.

Cassandra got up, making sure she was covered, before she pulled the door open the rest of the way. “Who is it now?” she asked, baby Lily asleep in her arms. Her eyes went wide when she saw the Inquisitor and Blackwall. “Oh! I didn’t expect you so soon!” She moved back to let them in. “Didn’t you send that letter just a week ago?”

Varric laughed. “Ruffles has apparently been on the warpath to have Evie married off,” he explained and looked around, “Where’s Anthony?” Hearing laughter from his son’s room he shook his head. “Forgot that the Kid was watching him. So now he wants to be a mage, have horns like Tiny, and poof around to scare everyone.” 

“Ambitious little monster, isn’t he?” Evelyn laughed. “That’s what you get for letting him spend too much time with them.”

As if on cue, Cole came into the room, Anthony on his back, shouting and laughing at the top of his lungs. “We go faster, faster, faster!” he demanded, but paused when he saw the newcomers in his home. “Who that?” he asked Cole, leaning over the spirit’s shoulder to grab his chin and turn his face towards the Inquisitor and Blackwall.

“Ugh,” Cassandra groaned and ran a hand down her face. “Anthony! Get down! I am so sorry, Cole.”

Cole smiled brightly at the Inquisitor and Blackwall before he looked to Cassandra. “It’s alright. This makes him happy. Almost too bright to look at, but it is good. I am happy to help you out.” He looked over his shoulder at Anthony, “We need to be quiet, your sister is sleeping.” He looked back at Evelyn, “Bright, shining relief, happy to be here. Had to get away from all the planning, politics. Maker, I don’t want to marry any of them. They are just like Aunt Tilly.” He looked at her confused, “Do they all wear frumpy dresses?”

“Ah, how I’ve missed someone reading my thoughts aloud for me,” Evelyn teased. She smiled at the little boy on Cole’s back who now had his arms crossed and a pout on his lips. “It would be far more entertaining if they wore frumpy dresses. Bunch of overstuffed peacocks is more like,” she said, a pout on her face that rivaled Anthony’s. She brightened the next moment. “Speaking of peacocks, where’s Dorian?”

Cassandra laughed at that and had to clap a hand over her own mouth. “He is with Bull,” she answered as she went to lay the baby down carefully, breathing out a sigh of relief when Lily didn’t wake. “Bull and the Chargers have been working at the Bone Pit, trying to seal off entrances during the day. Trying to keep those Maker-damned Draak from coming up. It is an endless battle. Dorian refuses to let Bull out of his sight. Solas went with them today.”

“Solas?” Evelyn said in surprise, blinking at Cassandra. “I didn’t know he was here.” Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember. “Varric, you didn’t mention Solas in your letter. Did you? I read it so fast, I can’t remember now.” Surely she would’ve remembered him mentioning Solas.

Varric rubbed the back of his neck. “Yes well, I didn’t want you to spend your trip here worrying about that. He showed up here about a little over a week ago with Cole. Told us how bad everything has been with those damned things. He’s changed too, hardly recognized him with all the hair.”

Blackwall walked over to the crib and smiled down at the baby girl, looking up when Varric said that Solas had changed. “He has hair? I didn’t think it was possible. That’ll be something to see!” 

“Solas is helping Dorian seal off exits. It is hard work,” Cole said, “They are all hungry and tired.” He moved, leaning back so Anthony gently dropped to the floor before he stood up straighter. “Eyes darting around the entrances to the mines, I’ll light them on fire if I see them again. Not taking me, not torturing me again.”

A chill ran down Evelyn’s spine and she forgot her excitement. It was as if the gravity of the situation hit her all at once. She exchanged a look with Blackwall before she spoke, “We’d heard reports of people going missing before you sent your letter. But this sounds more serious than I realized.”

“It is serious. These monsters come up from the mines at night, kidnapping anyone they can get their hands on. Especially children. They turn them into more of their own kind, as if they are creating an army,” Cassandra said. “Thus far, we have no plan to stop them, other than feeble attempts at sealing off entrances and fighting them if they come within eyesight. But there are far too many to fight that way.”

“Then we will help you find a way,” Evelyn promised. “I wish I could have brought more of our circle with me, but Cullen thought it better if he stayed behind to keep Skyhold running. I didn’t bother contacting Vivienne. I didn’t think I could stand to make the trip with her. And we don’t know where Sera is. We couldn’t find her to contact her.”

“Buttercup might not even agree to help with this madness. I know she wasn’t fond of things in the dark. Not that any of us are, shit. I’ll be perfectly happy to never set foot in another cave. You all can go inside and flush them out. I’ll shoot them down,” he reasoned and moved to sit down at the table. “But yeah, it’s bad. Sparkler, once he felt he could talk about it, told us what he remembers about the whole process. What they do when they are trying to change you.” He looked at his son on the floor. “Not something I want to discuss in front of him.”

Evelyn was curious to know what had happened to Dorian, to learn what they were up against, but she didn’t push the issue. “No, I understand,” she said, glancing at the adorable little boy. “We can discuss it later, after your children have gone to bed.” She adjusted the pack on her shoulder. “You said we could stay here?”

Cassandra nodded. “There are rooms across the hall where you are welcome to stay for as long as you are here,” she answered. She glanced out the window at the late afternoon sun, worry settling in her stomach. Bull and Dorian would probably return to Dorian’s estate at the end of the day, but she hoped Solas would make it back to the Hanged Man before dark. She looked to the Inquisitor and Blackwall again, giving them a half-hearted smile. “Make yourselves comfortable,” she said and turned again to go stand by the window, chewing the corner of her lip, losing herself in her thoughts once again, wondering how in the world they were going to stop this threat. 

“They’ll all probably stop by here soon,” Varric said, “After a day at the Bone Pit, both of them like to have a strong drink before they venture home. Sometimes dinner if we can get Krem to cook.”   


Blackwall nodded, “It’ll be good to have a hearty meal while we’re not traveling.” He sighed, feeling unsettled at what they had learned. “And I hope we figure out some way to stop those bastards. Kidnapping children? Torturing them?” He clenched his fists tightly at the thought.

Evelyn squeezed Blackwall’s shoulder. “Let’s get settled in. We’ll find a way to stop this. That’s why we came here,” she reminded him and gave him a tug towards the door.


	3. Chapter 3

It was darker than Solas should have been comfortable with when they arrived back in the city. He could see the worry in Dorian’s eyes and waved both him and Bull on to their home in Hightown. They promised to be back at the Hanged Man in time for breakfast the next morning. The elf nodded and approached the door to the bar, pausing a moment to draw a rune on the front of it with his staff. It glowed blue a moment before it faded away and he let himself in. The monsters, for all the work that the Chargers were doing at the Bone Pit, were still finding a way to the surface and if he listened carefully, he could hear them skittering around the city at night.

Cassandra was all too quick to open the door when Solas knocked. Her heart skipped a beat and she felt the blood drain from her face. “Solas, where is Dorian? Where is Bull?” she asked a little too quickly. “I thought they were coming here with you.” It was far too close to sunset for her liking, long shadows falling across the city. Solas looked tired and worried and it made her worry in return.

“Peace, Seeker. It is late and far too dark for them to stop in for a drink. They should be at Dorian’s house in a few minutes, if not already,” he said as he leaned against his staff, shifting his shoulders under the pack he wore. “It was a long day. We managed to close at least three entrances. Working on a few more. Though, I would not be surprised to find new holes opening up around the area. These creatures are… relentless.”

Cassandra felt relief wash over her and she scolded herself for worrying so easily. “That they are,” she agreed and let him into the rooms she and Varric lived in. “Come in and rest. I will send for food from the tavern,” she said and squeezed past him to head downstairs.

Evelyn wasn’t sure what she was expecting when she saw Solas. Varric had been right - five long years had changed the elf. If she didn’t know it was him, she thought she might not have recognized him at all. He had been a trusted friend during their time at Skyhold and it was as if now she could feel the bite of his unannounced departure all over again. “Nice to see you’re alive, Solas,” she said as she leaned in a doorway, her arms crossed over her chest.

Solas felt himself freeze at the particular voice and tone of his friend. She did not sound pleased with him in the slightest. He exchanged a look with Varric who held up his hands indicating he wanted no part in it. He sighed and turned; he did deserve it, he supposed. The Inquisitor hadn’t changed much. Her eyes still as sharp as ever and her brown locks were longer than what he remembered. “My friend, it is good to see you again,” he said. “I apologize for my abrupt departure after the battle with Corypheus. I did not think I would be missed from the festivities,” he said as he sorted through what he could tell her. She would not be satisfied with just any answer.

She pressed her lips to a hard line. She didn’t want to be upset with him, she was happy to know that he was okay, but it bothered her that he had left the way he did. “You expect me to believe that?” she asked with more bite in her voice than she meant to. “You were with me from the very beginning. You, Varric, and Cassandra. How could you possibly think that you would not be missed? I thought you knew better than that. That you knew what you meant to the Inquisition, to me, to all of us. You were… are… our friend, Solas. Did… did we do something to offend you? To make you think we wouldn’t care?” She knew how judgmental he could be and she had worried more than she should have about what she or anyone else could have done to drive him away like that. 

“No, never. It was nothing on your part that drove me away. It was inconsiderate of me to have left in such a fashion. If I could go back, I would have not left so quickly.” A lie, but she didn’t need to know that. He couldn’t waste any more time after having spent working towards a goal that had ended up shattered at his feet. “I would ask you forgive my foolishness on the matter. I am here now and I will not be vanishing until this threat is taken care of.”

“You sure about that?” she snapped before she could think. She paused, bit her lips, and looked at the floor. “I’m sorry,” she said softly and rubbed at her forehead before pinching the bridge of her nose. “I’m not angry. I’m just… hurt. I was worried over you.” She looked up at him again, slicking her hair out of her face. “I’m glad to see that you’re okay,” she said before a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, “even if you look like a stranger with those dreadlocks.”

Solas smiled at that, knowing that they would have to speak privately later and he reached a hand up, touching his hair. “Yes, I was growing rather tired of the bald jokes. I figured it was a good time for a bit of change,” he said as he moved to sit down at the table. He shrugged off of his pack, leaning his staff against the table, then paused to pull it away from Anthony’s grabbing hands, “This is not a toy, young Master Tethras.”

“Oh Chuckles, you have yet to learn. Everything is a toy.”

“Even Bull’s axe when he isn’t looking,” Cassandra added as she pushed the door open with her hip and brought the food over to the table. She grabbed Anthony up and moved him to another chair away from Solas, even as the little boy huffed and stuck his tongue out at the elf.

Evelyn snickered and moved to lean over the back of Solas’s chair to give him a hug. “It’s good to see you again, my friend,” she said softly before she pulled back and touched one of the dreadlocks. “And this new look suits you.”

He laughed softly as he helped himself to a plate of food, reaching up and patting her arm that rested on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “It was a look that I favored when I was younger. Back in more rebellious days.”

She moved to take the seat next to him now that Anthony had been moved out of it. She wasn’t used to sitting at a dwarven table, it was so low to the floor, and an amusing image of Bull sitting at this table nearly made her laugh. 

They ate their dinner, listening to Solas recount his day at the Bone Pit with Dorian and Bull. Anthony soon lost interest and instead made Cole get on all fours so he could get a horsey-ride before bed. Of course he threw an absolute fit when his mother finally grabbed him up to carry him off to bed, to which she muttered that she knew he was tired if he was putting up such a fuss.

It was late evening by the time they decided to retire to their rooms after a lengthy conversation about the Draak and the things Dorian had experienced while taken prisoner in the mine. It made Evelyn sick to her stomach to know her friend had been tortured so. She bid her friends goodnight and walked slowly down the hall towards her room, lost in thought, her arms wrapped around herself. Whatever these things were, whatever they were working towards, she would make certain they were stopped to save anyone from experiencing the same torment and to avenge Dorian’s pain.

She paused outside her room and turned to see Solas watching her. “What is it, Solas?” she asked. “You look like something is on your mind.” Though to be fair, the elf almost always looked like that.

“You still seem troubled, Inquisitor, be it the Draak or myself. I wanted to reassure you that nothing you did was the reason I left. You need not concern yourself with that. I had to leave because of my own duty.” He pressed his lips thin, wondering what he could tell her that would satisfy her, “It was of my own creation, I would rather not go into further discussion on it. I did think of the Inquisition often on my travels.”

“Always so mysterious,” she said with a shake of her head. She sighed and leaned against the wall again. “There is a lot on my mind,” she confessed. “Everything discussed at dinner, what happened to Dorian, what is happening to people all over Thedas. This is worse than I thought.” She gave a mirthless snort of laughter. “Can’t believe I was excited to come here. I guess I was just that eager to get away from Josephine for awhile.”

Solas chuckled at that, “I can imagine so. With Cassandra moving away to here with her children, it is harder for her to find someone to dote upon. As dire as the situation is, we will find someway to make this better. We have to. To remember what it is that we are fighting to save.”

She met his eyes and managed a smile for him and nodded. “There’s always someone who needs saving, isn’t there?” she asked. “But it is good to have everyone back together again if we are going to fight to save the world one more time. And no matter how bad it gets, I think it will still be easier than trying to fight off Josephine,” she joked.

“I suspect you are correct, Inquisitor,” he said as he leaned against his staff, letting his long fingers curl around the polished wood.

“Always so proper, aren’t you Solas?” she asked, her tone only slightly teasing. “We aren’t at Skyhold anymore. You can call me Evie.”

He raised a brow at her, his lips curling up slightly. “As you wish, Evie. Even if the threat is dire, I am pleased that you have come to our aid. There are few who I could count on. You are among that valued few,” he said in a quiet tone. “It has been a long day, you must be tired from your travels. I will leave you be for the night.” He inclined his head to her, “I wish you a goodnight.”

“Surprisingly, I’m not that tired,” she said. Physically, she was worn out, but her mind was on fire with all the new information swirling in her head. “I won’t keep you if you are tired, I know you worked hard today. But if you feel like staying up for a bit, I’d love to hear more about your travels. Catch up a bit. I’ve missed hearing your stories about your journeys in the Fade.” She was always fascinated by the things he told her, about hearing his unique view on the world.

He had missed this, the easy conversations that they had, the way she was hungry for knowledge and his stories, how open minded she could be. “I have found few people over these last few years who have been willing to listen to my opinions. I would be delighted. If you will give me a moment, I wish to change into something more comfortable. If feel as though I am ready to jump into battle at any moment. I might also have a special bottle of Antivan brandy that we could get into as well, if you are interested.”

Evelyn couldn’t stop herself. “Planning on getting me drunk, alone in my bedroom? For shame, Solas,” she teased. She laughed openly at the look he gave her. “You know what happened to Varric and Cassandra when they did the same.” She had to press a hand to her mouth to stop her laughter, and finally nodded. “I’ll leave my door open. Bring that brandy. I’ll do my best not to misbehave.”

Solas tried his best to not roll his eyes at her. He had forgotten her unique sense of humor. Two could play at that game though and he leaned in close to her, peering down his nose at her. “My dear Evelyn,” he purred, “if that were my plan, we wouldn’t be wasting much time with small talk and I would be doing everything in my power to misbehave.”

“Ooo,” she purred back, pursing her lips and giving him an over-the-top sultry look. “Don’t threaten me with a good time, apostate.” She couldn’t hold the look for very long and she laughed loudly again. She gave him a playful shove away and stepped back towards her door. “Go on. Shoo! Get changed and we’ll stay up late exchanging drunken stories.” She paused and narrowed her eyes at him. “And I told you, call me Evie. Not Evelyn. Honestly, what were my parents thinking? Evelyn Trevelyan. Bleh,” she gagged and stuck out her tongue as she shuddered. “Who does that?”

Solas found himself chuckling at her. It was a rather refreshing change of pace after the past five years working towards his goal, his duty to the People. He greedily soaked up the companionship and realized how much he had missed his friends. It was odd to think about them that way. He never would have thought to have such a wide variety of races as friends, those who saw him as an equal. They didn’t know the truth about him, thus could not judge him. But therein was another problem, that he had to keep up the facade of being just another apostate mage. 

He remembered a time when Fen’harel was a name of respect. When it was not a curse to be used upon someone who displeased another. Instead to be whispered earnestly when facing against impossible odds. When one needed favor as they stood up against many for the greater good. He went down the way and slipped into the room he had claimed for himself and quickly shrugged out of his clothes, dirty from the day of work. He stretched for a moment, raising his arms over his head, leaning back until he heard a few pops from his spine and he sighed in mild relief. He fetched the bottle of brandy and headed back to Evie’s room. 

“That was quick,” she teased as she moved to sit on the floor with her back against the side of the bed. She patted the floor next to her and laughed when he sat down, “I feel like a teenager, sneaking a bottle of wine from my parents’ cellar.” She accepted the bottle when he offered it and took a sip, pulling a face as it seared her throat. “Still better than drinking with Bull,” she reminded herself out loud and handed the bottle back to Solas. She smacked her lips and scooted her hips around until she was more comfortable. “Okay, so tell me a good story,” she said with a little smirk. “I know you have one.”

Solas took the bottle back from her, leaning back against the wall comfortably as he took a sip from the bottle. “I am pleased to see your curious nature as not changed over the years,” he said, sighing contentedly as the heat from the drink warmed him from the inside out. “I’m afraid any story I could tell you, Varric could outdo in a heartbeat.” He chuckled, “Or his little one. I do not believe I have ever seen a child with such a vivid imagination. With his father’s wit and his mother’s passion, he will be a formidable individual when he grows older.”

“HA!” Evelyn laughed and nodded her head. “I don’t doubt that. I spent the afternoon with them. Poor Cole, I don’t think Anthony gave him a moment’s peace. That little boy isn’t shy at all. He even got Blackwall to play with him.” She reached for the bottle and took another sip. “I’m happy that Cassandra and Varric finally have a family. Losing the first one the way they did… Well, you were there. You remember. That was horrible. I still feel awful for taking Cassandra with us that day.”

Solas nodded. “A grave error in all of our judgements. Let us not dwell on such sadness. I am pleased that they have such a thriving family. Dorian and Bull seem to have taken up a special place in their family as well. It is quite odd, but it works for all parties involved.” He drank from the bottle, “And as for Cole, he seems more than happy to let young Anthony hound him.”

“Sorry,” Evelyn muttered. She sighed and leaned her head back against the bed, looking up at the ceiling for a moment. “It’s just sort of strange to be here with everyone again. Skyhold felt so empty after everyone left. I mean, most everyone writes to let me know how they are, what they’ve been up to. But it isn’t the same. I kept going to the rotunda, looking at your paintings, like they would somehow tell me how to find you.” She shrugged and reached for the bottle again. “I can’t go anywhere in that place without thinking about all of you. Varric’s place by the fire in the great hall, Dorian in his nook, even Bull’s chair in the tavern or Cassandra’s training dummies. Everywhere I look, I see all of you.”

“I hadn’t realized you would be left so alone after the fall of Corypheus,” he said as he studied the look on her face, “A feeling I know all too well.” Guilt tugged at him, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. He knew how to deal with guilt now as he was guilty of many things. Hard lessons learned. “After our time together at Skyhold, I imagine it has grown quite dull without having any hordes of demons to go chasing after. No rifts left to seal.”

“Well there’s always the politics to keep me entertained,” she muttered sarcastically. “I’m not alone. I mean, Cullen and Josephine are there. And Blackwall. I keep busy most of the time. I just meant that seeing everyone now made me realize how much I missed you all.” She tipped the bottle to her lips, giving another soft snort. “Maker knows Josie needs a hobby. I think I might steal one of Varric’s kids to bring back with me. Might distract her from me for awhile.” The very thought made her take a bigger drink than she’d meant to.

Solas chuckled as she coughed and took the bottle back, raising it again to his own lips, enjoying the burn with the spices of the unique brandy. In all his travels, it was by far his favorite. “You may reconsider that in time. Lily might be a safe bet, but Anthony? Perhaps too much energy. That and you have no idea of knowing how Lady Josephine will react. It is possible it will make her only work harder to find you a suitor and demand little Inquisitors.”

“I just don’t see why it’s so important to her. I mean, I know she had so much fun planning Cassandra’s and Varric’s wedding, but that doesn’t mean I need to get married just to give her something to do!” Evelyn protested. “I keep trying to steer her attention to Cullen, but he keeps threatening to leave the Inquisition if I don’t stop.” A mock-pout crossed her lips. “Spoilsport. I told him to take one for the bloody team, but then he pretended to be deaf.”

The elf laughed at the image that produced in his head. “I am not surprised.” He smirked against the bottle, “I am surprised that Blackwall has not attempted to court Lady Josephine. I seem to recall him admiring her. What better way to distract her than with her own courtship? Of course, if Blackwall is not interested, you could always pretend to be a secret admirer of the Ambassador. Might keep her distracted.”

She snickered at that. “Ah, that’d just be cruel. Besides, he likes her. He always has. But they have this weird thing where they think it’s improper to be together or some bullshit like that. I don’t understand them at all,” she muttered. “Maybe I should ask Cassandra for some pointers. I remember her telling me her uncle kept presenting her with suitors until she broke one’s arm. Maybe I need to do that.” She shrugged, though a smile crossed her lips. “Poor bastard wouldn’t know what hit him.”

“Cassandra does have rather… interesting ways of dealing with her problems,” he mused, feeling a bit light headed from the alcohol, but it was a good feeling. Even better by the company. He hadn’t realized how much he missed the companionship. “During my journeys in the Fade, I have seen many marriages, both out of love and out of political gain. Few have I seen that were out of boredom as I suspect Josephine is inclining to. I hope that she does not wear you down into agreeing to something you would later regret. You have too wild a spirit.”

She looked at him then and smiled. “Scary how well you know me,” she murmured. “Ah, I guess I shouldn’t worry about it. It’s not like she can force me into anything. And really, what man could put up or keep up with me?” She gave a little laugh. “So what about you? Found any sexy elf-ladies to keep you company while out on your travels?” she asked, wagging her eyebrows suggestively.

“Much to my dismay,” he drawled, “I have not. Though I have journeyed to several Dalish clans since I left, they have all been rather suspicious, if not openly hostile towards the ‘flat-ear’ trying to share knowledge with them and what they believe to be superstitious nonsense.” He shook his head and sipped from the bottle again. “Why do you ask, Evie? Are you going to try to set me up with some nice elven woman?”

“Nooo,” she said slowly, “but I could always drag you back to Skyhold and set Josephine to the task. She’d have them lined up in the great hall for you.” She snickered and sipped more of the brandy, which was not stinging her throat nearly as much now. She shrugged and plunked the bottle back down between them. “I don’t know. Not sure there’s any woman who could keep up or put up with you either,” she teased.

Solas laughed at that, “It seems we are a pair then. I doubt that it will deter Josephine’s efforts, regardless what argument we might come up with, no matter the validity of it. Perhaps it is best to run and hide while you can.”

“Orrr we could run off and elope!” she grinned. “Think of the gossip that would cause! Couldn’t you just see their faces?” She fell to a fit of giggles just thinking about it. She shook her head. “Ah, but I’m not, what was it Sera used to say?  Elfy enough. You picky bastard,” she teased and shoved his knee with her toe. She dragged a hand down her face, which felt rather warm. “Oh, Solas, I think that brandy is getting to me. I’m sorry I’m being so silly.”

He snorted at that. “And just what have I done to give you the impression that I am a ‘picky bastard,’ my dear Inquisitor?” He had to hold back the urge to want to roll his eyes at Sera’s name. “Perhaps I just did not have the time to involve myself in frivolous activities when we had a clear threat and enemy to focus on,” he said, reaching out and catching her foot when she poked him again and he studiously observed her toes when she wiggled them at him.

“Well with the way you talk, I just assumed…” she trailed off, tipping her head as she looked at him. “I mean, I sort of thought you would only be interested in other elves. There’s nothing wrong with that.” The corner of her mouth twitched at the feel of his strong grip on her foot. “You gonna seduce me with brandy and a foot rub?” she asked teasingly. “Oh Solas, you know how to make a girl swoon.”

“Hardly,” he said as he tickled the arch of her foot, unable to stop the grin on his face as she jerked and laughed out loud in his grasp, but he was merciless. He hadn’t felt so relaxed in a long time, this comfortable companionship was like a balm to his own soul. It was refreshing to relax and not worry about being thought of as just another elf, a flat ear, something he was not.

“Solas! Solas, stop!” she cried, squirming and laughing as she tried to get away. It was fun to play around, to have someone to joke with again. Though she had never really seen this side of Solas. It was nice to know he could let his guard down and cut up like this. “Wh-What did I ever do to you?!” she cried as she fell over, fighting the urge to scream. “Stop! You’re gonna make me wake the whole house!”

“What’s that?” he asked calmly, a little bit louder than normal, “I cannot hear you, do speak up!” He laughed and only tickled her harder than before, snorting as their little scuffle knocked over the empty bottle of brandy. “Oh there is half of the problem right there. I think I understand now.”

Tears streamed from Evelyn’s eyes and she laughed so hard, no sound escaped her and she was left to slap her hand on the floor instead. “I can’t breathe,” she managed to wheeze. She twisted in his grasp and forced herself up, reaching to tickle his ribs in retaliation. “T-Take that, elf!” she laughed, nearly choking on her own words.

Solas would later deny the sound that escaped his throat then as he jumped and was unable to stop the laughter that tried to work its way out of him despite his best efforts to control it. It went on for a few more minutes as they wrestled on the floor before the elf managed to grab her hands and roll over her, pinning them above her head as he tickled her again for a moment. The position dawned on him in the back of his mind that it was a precarious spot to be. He peered down at her with hooded eyes, “Give up, Evie. You cannot beat me.”

Evelyn suddenly found her breath stolen away as she met his eyes. She liked the feel of his weight on her and his firm grip on her wrists a little too much. His face was so close to her own, she could smell the brandy on his breath, and for a split second she had the urge to kiss him. She pulled at his grip, but it was solid. “Fiiiiine,” she huffed, narrowing her eyes at him. “I give,” she said, but lifted her head suddenly to playfully lick his cheek.

“How very mature, Inquisitor,” Solas teased, but leaned down and placed a long lick up the bridge of her nose before he released her and pulled back, laughing at the look on her face. He rubbed at the wet spot on his cheek, his heart pounding, his head slightly fuzzy with the drink.

Evelyn’s eyes went wide and she scrubbed at her nose. She certainly hadn’t expected him to retaliate like that. “So the always serious Solas  does  have a playful side,” she said, slightly teasing, yet with a bit of awe in her voice. She made no move to get out from beneath him as he straddled her hips. “I never would have guessed.” Her wrists tingled from where he had pinned her down. “You’re a lot stronger than you look.”

Solas became aware of how her body moved beneath him, and he had to bite back a groan as his body responded in kind. It had been a long, long time for him. He moved quickly to get off of her, hiding his arousal, “Yes, well. Training and all that. Strong body, strong mind, more control over the Fade and the Veil.” He said quickly. He was disappointed to find out his body wasn’t in his control of the moment and he found he couldn’t stand up, instead sliding to sit down next to her. He watched her with dilated eyes, not unlike a wolf stalking its prey. 

She smiled and shifted around to lay her head on his knee, looking up at him. A yawn split her face and she covered her hand with her mouth. “Oh, I’m getting sleepy now,” she murmured. She grinned and reached for his hand, tracing his long fingers with her own. “Wicked things,” she playfully growled. She snapped her teeth at his hand as if she might bite them, then dropped his hand and giggled again. “You know we’re going to pay for this in the morning, right?”

Solas chuckled at her behavior, it warmed his heart a little and he let himself relax back against the bed further. “Oh I have no doubt, Evie,” he said, letting her play with his hand as she wished.  "Though I imagine we will not be in such good spirits then,” he said before he paused, a skittering noise off in the distance, outside caught his attention. “I imagine not many will be,” he said before he looked back down at her, placing a hand on her head, stroking her hair. “Go to sleep.”

She let out a lazy groan and dropped her hand to the floor, her fingers still slightly entwined in his. “Solas,” she whined, “you’re going to put me to sleep.” She sighed contentedly as his fingers slid through her hair. A tiny smile pulled at her lips; she couldn’t remember the last time anyone had been so playful and affectionate with her. She rolled to her side, making herself more comfortable with his thigh as a pillow and yawned again. “You realize if I fall asleep, you’ll be trapped here all night long as my pillow?”

Solas gave her a lazy smile, “You say that as if it would be an unpleasant affair. You realize if you fall asleep like this, you will be using me as your personal pillow all night long.” He teased her back, “I seem to remember though, you have this uncanny ability to sleep through anything. I will be just fine.”

She gave a light laugh and curled up, another contented sigh escaped her as her eyes fluttered shut. She curled her fingers around his a bit more. “I’ve missed you, Solas,” she murmured and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Solas smiled down at her, brushing her hair off of her face before he carefully moved, picking her up off the ground. With some careful maneuvering, he was able to get her under the covers of her bed. He smiled down at her, watching her sleep for a moment. “I missed you as well,” he said quietly before he excused himself. He needed to spend some time in the Fade after a trying day.


	4. Chapter 4

“Wakey, wakey. The little Inquisitor is going to miss breakfast if she sleeps for too much longer.”

Evelyn woke, shaking her head and snorting as someone flicked her nose repeatedly. She cracked an eye and groaned loudly. “Dorian,” she whined and pulled back from his hand, trying to hide her face in the pillow. She could feel a headache thrumming through her skull. “It has to be too early to get up.”

“Oh but my dear, it is nearing nine in the morning. I don’t suppose that empty bottle of Antivan spiced brandy has anything to do with your current state? And here I thought you would be excited to see me,” he said, a sly grin tugging at his face as he peeled back the covers and continued to tease the tip of her nose, “I have already mastered pestering Cassandra awake. If you think you can best her, you are welcome to try.”

She grabbed his wrist, growling at him, “I ought to bite you.” She huffed and flung his wrist away, then forced herself to sit up. “I am happy to see you,” she said as she yawned and rubbed at her eyes. She reached for him, pulling him into a tight hug, though she rested her head tiredly on his shoulder. “It’s all Solas’s fault. That’s his bottle of brandy. I blame the elf!”

Dorian chuckled as he hugged the Inquisitor tightly. “Yes, yes, let's blame the apostate hobo and the bottle of uncultured brandy on your current state,” he said as he pulled back, reaching for the bag on his shoulder before he dangled a potion bottle between his fingers, “This wouldn’t be of any interest to you, would it? It has made me a fortune over my years here in Kirkwall. Do you know how many people a day need a hangover remedy?”

Evelyn’s eyes went wide and she gasped as she snatched it out of his hand. She uncorked it and swallowed it down before he could say a word, then heaved a sigh as the headache in her head faded. “Maker bless you,” she breathed. She managed a genuine smile for him then. “How have you been? I have missed you.”

“As well as anyone can be in the uncultured south. This place is dismal at best and the Hanged Man is filthy. Still, I suppose it has become somewhat of a home to Bull and I. At least the estate I own in Hightown is acceptable. Complete with running water and decent food. Here you have to have buckets of water dumped into the tub. Dreadful, really.” He smirked, “But I cannot complain. Here... it’s home. More of a home than what I had come to expect in Tevinter at least. It’s marvelous.”

“Well despite the fact that your surroundings are so miserable, you seem happy,” she said. She threw her legs over the edge of the bed and grabbed her boots to pull them on. She grabbed Dorian’s hand and pulled her with him as she made her way across the hall to Varric and Cassandra’s rooms. “Who let the Tevinter in my room?” she demanded.

“Don’t look at me,” Bull said with a chuckle, holding his hands up innocently. “How ya doin’, Boss?”

“Better now, thanks to Dorian’s potion,” she answered and sat down at the table. She helped herself to breakfast, shooting a glance at Solas. He didn’t look hung over and she wondered if he had any of Dorian’s potion as well or if he had his own way of dealing with such things. She remembered falling asleep with her head on his leg, but she didn’t remember getting into bed. Her eyebrows furrowed, hoping that nothing had happened that she didn’t remember. She was still fully dressed; he had to have picked her up and put her in bed. She felt a heat cross her cheeks and nose. Solas was too respectful to pull something while she was drunk and she scolded herself for the thought even crossing her mind.

Dorian chuckled as he moved to take his seat next to Bull, pulling his plate closer to him before he tucked in, swatting the Qunari’s hand when it drifted too close to a bite of eggs with his fork. “You’ve had more than enough. I’m a growing boy and I need all the food I can get,” he said as he pulled the plate away from his lover.

“You mean you need the energy to keep up after last night,” Bull corrected him.

Anthony tipped his head curiously, as if wondering if he’d missed something. “What happen last night, Uncle Bull?”

Bull choked on his drink and had to take a moment to clear his throat. He shied under the look Cassandra gave him. “Fighting those monsters in the mines, kid,” he answered quickly before he muttered, “Sorry, Cass.”

“Well it’s nice to see not much has changed,” Evelyn said. “Breakfast together, inappropriate conversation, preparing to go fight the baddies.” She paused and sighed wistfully. “Just like old times.”

Solas chuckled. “Save for the impressionable children having breakfast at the table as well,” he said as he glanced at Anthony as Dorian smacked Bull again as he ate his food, “but yes, it is refreshing to see that not much has changed. I am just happy to be staying here than at Dorian’s estate. I doubt I would be able to get much sleep with all the noise.”

Varric laughed. “Don’t down on them, Chuckles. It’s gold for my next chapter of Swords and Shields. If that doesn’t turn out perfect, you’ll have the misses to deal with,” he said as he thumbed at his wife holding baby Lily, “Both of them. I’ve caught Cassandra reading to the Princess.”

It was Cassandra’s turn to whack Varric. “Children’s stories!” she clarified. “You made it sound as if I read smut to the children.” She pressed her lips to a thin line and shook her head as she huffed through her nose. 

“Mommy, what’s smut?” Anthony asked.

Cassandra let out a long, disgusted noise and turned away, shaking her head. “Something you should not know about until you are thirty,” she answered sharply. “Maker, I’m going to start serving wine with breakfast. I need it.”

“That makes two of us Cassandra,” Dorian said, giving Varric a look as Bull started giving him pointers, again. “I swear, I’m still getting used to this whole, nothing to be ashamed about. Though I am more used to it than I was back at Skyhold. That is still no reason to go helping the dwarf, Amatus. Leave some things to the imagination!” He grumbled when Bull just placed a hand on his head, ruffling his hair. 

Blackwall chuckled as he helped himself to some of the breakfast on the table, “Well Varric, I imagine this lot has been keeping you rather entertained over the years.”

“An endless supply of inspiration, Hero,” Varric said with a smile as he cut up a sausage on his son’s plate, catching him as the little one spotted Cole as he came into the room, “Ah ah, finish your breakfast first, kiddo.” 

Cole seemed to ignore Anthony’s whining and went instead to stand beside Cassandra at Lily’s crib. He peered over her shoulder and down at the sleeping baby. “Soft, gentle thoughts, warm and peaceful,” he said quietly, “She is very beautiful. Softer than Anthony, her thoughts are more like Varric’s, muted and quiet.”

Cassandra smiled down at her daughter. “Good,” she said softly as the baby blinked up at her and gave a grin. “I do not know if I could handle two children like Anthony. He is very busy. Though I think you have figured that out. He is enjoying playing with you. It is kind of you to indulge him the way you do.”

“It helps,” Cole said as he smiled at her, “Both you and him. I do not mind it, he is very bright and so happy. It’s good,” he insisted, before his face fell, “But I cannot seem to make him understand he cannot be like me. He cannot 'Poof.'”

Cassandra picked up Lily as the baby cooed and snuggled into her neck. “I have been thinking about what you said, Solas,” she said as she returned to the table. “About the hive mentality of these Draak. I would have thought killing the ‘queen’ as you put it would have destroyed the hive. But that does not seem to be the case. How else do you destroy a hive?”

Solas took a long drink of the water in front of him as he thought about it, “You destroy the nest, hopefully with the bulk of the colony inside. Then kill the remaining stragglers that did not survive.”

Dorian pressed his lips thin. “That is a fascinating idea and all, but I for one, am not setting foot in those blasted mines again so I can do a search and destroy mission for those monsters. So my question would be, how do we kill them without going inside?”

“I’m with Sparkler on this one. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I go back in there again.” Varric shuddered at the thought. “And we can’t blow the mines up because Kirkwall is sitting on half of it.”

Evelyn stared down at her plate, poking her food around with her fork for a moment. “Could we burn them out?” she asked, but frowned. She shook her head at herself the next moment. “No, nevermind. Stone won’t burn, I can’t imagine there’s much down there that would catch fire. And Maker, how much water would that take to put it out when it was all said and done?”

Blackwall tilted his head at the Inquisitor. “There’s an idea. Why not skip the fire and just go straight to the water? Would fill all the nooks and crannies, go all the way down to the lowest chambers where those sorry bastards make their homes. Have men stationed around the known entrances that are unsealed to take out any that try to make it out. Though, I have no idea how you would even start to get that much water in there. How far down do you suppose those caves go?”

“Deeper than I would care to admit,” Varric said as he tapped his fingers on the table, trying to think on how it would all work.

“There’s no telling how deep some of those places go,” Bull answered. “But that’s the best idea we’ve come up with yet. You know there’s probably more entrances to that place than we realize. If we could find one near the sea, maybe there would be a way to direct the water into it.”

“What, just dig a trench?” Evelyn asked skeptically. “That sounds dangerous, digging something big enough to flood an entire cave system. There’s a lot that could go wrong with something like that.”

“Perhaps if there was a river nearby the caves?” Dorian mused, “We could have Rocky redirect the flow. Or Solas and I could work to move the water into an entrance, but I wouldn’t want to think about how long that would take us to fill the damned place. Not to mention how much lyrium we would need to keep our magic sustained while we work.”

“If you think you could manage it, we can get you all the lyrium you need,” Evelyn offered. “Though I feel like that is putting most of the work on you and Solas. It does sound safer, though. So is that the plan? Do we go looking for an entrance near a river?”

Solas nodded. “For the moment, it seems like the best course of action. Cole can help us sense if the cave we find will be connected to the rest of the Bone Pit. Rocky can help us determine the best placement of the river and help Dorian and I redirect it without the aid of his explosives. The rest of you will have to watch our backs while we work. Once we start, we will no doubt attract unwanted attention.”

“We can do that,” Bull grinned as he got up from the low table. “Let me grab the boys and we’ll all head out. I hope those things come crawling out of their hole. I’d love the chance to hack them up. If there’s a way to do this, we’ll find it.” 

Evelyn got to her feet, eager to get out for a bit. “Let me grab my bow,” she said as the others began to get up, preparing to head out. She would never admit it out loud, but she agreed with Bull. Part of her hoped at least one of those Draak would show its face; she was curious to see what a half-man half-dragon looked like. She imagined it would be like fighting the demons back when they were sealing the rifts. Probably not very threatening on their own, but a swarm of them could overwhelm. 

She caught up with everyone downstairs as they were preparing to leave. “Ah, going out wandering in the wilderness again. Just like old times,” she teased.

“Save here it’s a shade or two warmer than that frozen wonderland,” Dorian said as he slipped his staff into the harness on his back, “But yes, other than that, just like old times. Makes me all warm and fuzzy on the inside just thinking about it.”

“Cold, red, monsters all around, chains digging into my hands. Maker, make them stop. I will not break. I will not…”

“Cole,” Solas said, seeing the way the color had started draining from Dorian’s face, “That’s enough. No one is going to be taken. Not when we have everyone together.” He squeezed Dorian’s shoulder before he inclined his head at Evelyn. “Shall we? I’m going to put another rune on the door while we are out. Just in case,” he said as he looked at Varric and Cassandra.

Evelyn waited for Varric to nod before she strode outside, taking the lead out of sheer habit. She knew she shouldn’t have been this excited about it, not when so much was at stake and so many people had been hurt, but she couldn’t help it. It felt wonderful to be working like this again, especially when she had her most trusted friends with her once more. 

Bull snorted, slightly amused at the smile on the Inquisitor’s face. He bumped Dorian with his elbow, hoping to distract the mage from memories of the mines. “Look at her. You’d think we were taking her to a candy shop with the way she’s smiling,” he teased. “She’s getting worse than I am.”

“Nobody’s worse than you, Chief,” Krem chimed in, unable to stop himself from getting in a dig at Bull whenever he could.

Dorian was more than grateful for the distraction. He was doing his best to work through the trauma, but he was still waking up at night, sometimes screaming and fighting off the invisible creature that had tortured them. He forced a laugh and looked at the Inquisitor. “And I have, in fact, taken a child to a candy store. The resemblance is uncanny,” he teased. 

Varric chuckled at that, “Does feel good to have the gang all back. You know, we should do this more often. Maybe later on when Lily’s older. Could have one heck of a party back at Skyhold every now and then to make sure everyone’s still kicking about.”

Evelyn’s face lit up and she turned to walk backwards for a moment as she looked at Varric. “Can we?” she asked, a little too eagerly. “We can put Josephine in charge of it all! Then maybe she’ll finally be busy enough to leave me alone for a moment. Maker, that would be wonderful.”

Cassandra laughed. “I am telling you, Inquisitor, just break someone’s arm. There will be far fewer suitors lining up to pester you, I assure you,” she stated. She blinked at the look Varric gave her. “What? It worked for me.”

Varric opened his mouth as though he was going to say something and thought better of it, shaking his head, “I suppose I should just be grateful you didn’t break my arm. I swear, can’t take you anywhere, Seeker.”

“The thought crossed my mind,” she answered, sticking her nose slightly in the air. It took every ounce of willpower she possessed not to laugh. No matter how much she loved him, she could never resist the temptation to banter with him.  


Evelyn shook her head at them. “See? Who needs suitors and all that courtship nonsense? I should just find someone who drives me nuts, get drunk with them, and poof! Happily ever after,” she teased and turned around to walk properly again. Though speaking of getting drunk made her think about the night before with Solas. She wanted to speak to him, but didn’t want to be overheard either. 

She found her opportunity when they neared the edge of the city and she dropped back to let Bull take the lead. She slowed her walk until she was side by side with Solas, the others still carrying on just as they always had, trading insults and jabs at each other. She cleared her throat uncomfortably. “Solas,” she started, not quite looking at him as they walked. “I remember falling asleep with my head in your lap, but I don’t remember getting in bed. I… didn’t do or say anything stupid, did I?” She felt a slight heat touch her nose again. She knew she could say some silly things when she was sober; she cringed to think of what she might have said under the effects of the alcohol.

Solas chuckled and gave her a smile. “Aside from trying to bite my fingers, I do not believe you said or did anything I would have considered silly. After you were sound asleep, and you were very much a deadweight. I took the liberty of placing you in bed. I did not think you would appreciate sleeping on the floor like that all night. Nor would I have.” He noted the blush on her cheeks, “Why do you ask?”

She felt relieved. She knew Solas would be truthful with her, even if she’d made an idiot of herself. “Just wanted to make sure,” she answered. “You know how I am sober. It can only get worse from there,” she said with a slight laugh. She looked at him then and gave him a small smile. “I had fun with you last night. I just wanted to make sure I didn’t do something I forgot, that I didn’t make a fool of myself somehow.”

He nodded. “Understandable. I enjoyed last night as well. Perhaps we should do it again before we will have to part ways once this is all taken care of. Though, I will have to search around for more Antivan brandy. Or raid the Hanged Man’s stores,” he said with a slight smirk.

She leaned closer to him and spoke in a low voice so Varric wouldn’t hear her, “Are you sure the Hanged Man has anything good enough to drink?” She snickered slightly, but then her face fell the next moment. “Already thinking of leaving again? I might have to take you prisoner and keep you this time.” 

He really did laugh at that thought. “My dear Inquisitor, is that a promise?” he asked, looking at her with a sideways glance. It was endearing, if but a laughable idea that she thought she could keep him a prisoner. He knew she wasn’t serious, but still. The notion amused him. “Just planning ahead.”

She shook her head. “Everyone’s always in such a rush, planning this, planning that, running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Why can’t we just enjoy right now? This, right here. Right now. What is wrong with just drinking this in, spending time with friends, working for a good cause? You don’t always have to be so concerned with the future that you lose sight of where you are in this moment.”

“You do bring up a good point, Inqui...Evie. It is difficult to find that balance between both the future and in the moment. Living in the moment can make one forget to plan ahead, prepare for what is to come. It can make you forget your duty, but it is what we live for, is it not? What everyone should live for. Or should be able to. There are people out there who do not have that chance. I would see that corrected.”

“I’m not suggesting that we shouldn’t be conscious of the future. But it is okay to let yourself enjoy the present every now and then,” she said. “Like last night. I saw something in you that I’d never seen before. You didn’t look so worried, like you usually do. You let yourself enjoy it. You let go and had fun for a moment. For Maker’s sake, you licked me!” She stopped and giggled at the thought. “It was nice to see you like that.”

“If memory serves correctly, Inquisitor,” he said, his tone teasing again, “You licked me first.” He smiled, remembering last night fondly. It had been fun. To relax and enjoy her company. It was not something he did often, very rarely. But that was because of his own doing and enjoying himself too much after what he had done to the People, trying to save them and make the world a better place for them. It made him feel sick to his stomach. He was on this path alone, lest he forget his purpose. His punishment. No matter how much he wanted to give in and enjoy life. 

He wondered what it would be like, to share his burden. Of course, he could never truly share with anyone who he was. They would hate him once they found out the truth. As did everyone now. He already had to suffer with the People using his name as a curse, he could not bear to have these people do the same. “It seems you have that effect on me.” 

Evelyn quirked an eyebrow. “Now that makes me feel powerful. Only I can break down that wall, make you enjoy the moment? Get you to act silly?” she teased, grinning brilliantly at him. “Solas, you flatter me. You better stop before all that power goes to my head.” When had it become so easy to talk to him? She’d always enjoyed talking with him, but she couldn’t remember getting away with this much teasing before. “You don’t have to change. But just every now and then, remember to enjoy what’s happening now. We could all die tomorrow; what’s the point in worrying about something that might never happen if it means forgetting now?” She blinked at her own words. “I sound all philosophical now.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Now you see the effect you have on me?”

He chuckled, “I will have to alert everyone that the great Evie had a some what serious moment. They seem to be rarities. And I do mean that in the best way possible. You are serious when and where it counts to be. Thank you. I will try to keep your advice in mind. It could be that I am just too grim and fatalistic to enjoy the now.”

“That’s a shame. Cause right now is beautiful,” she said, looking around them. They had traveled farther than she’d realized and reached the shade of sparse trees growing along the edge of a riverbank. She looked at him again, a slight pout on her full lips. “Can’t you see anything worth enjoying right now? I can see a dozen things to appreciate and to remember.”

He chuckled as he observed her, the way the sunlight splashed over her freckled cheeks, catching on her full lips. “Oh, perhaps I can see one or two things that would be worth enjoying,” he said slyly, remembering last night as he had perched above her, pinning her wrists above her head. He suppressed the shiver that wanted to travel through his entire body at the thought and he squashed his desires.

Something about the tone of his voice and the intensity in his eyes made butterflies erupt in her stomach and she had to look away from him. It made her almost wish something had happened the night before. She rolled her eyes at herself, knowing that was a foolish thing to wish for. She gave a short sigh through her nose and looked around, seeing the others spreading out to search for possible entrances to the cave. “I suppose we should focus,” she said. “They’re going to think we’re slacking off.”

“Of course,” he said as he pulled his staff from his shoulder and began scanning around the area. He could see Dorian up ahead, his staff at the ready with fire already swirling around the crystal in anticipation of an attack. It was nearly ridiculous how close he was walking next to Bull. He wasn’t surprised after what he had endured, but his mind was stronger than most, hopefully he would recover fully in time. 

Evelyn walked slowly, scanning the landscape for any sign of a cave entrance, a dark spot in the ground that might stand out. But her eyes kept going to Solas as he searched as well. She didn’t understand where this attraction was coming from, but she couldn’t help watching him. The serious look on his face, the way his pale eyes narrowed, the long dreadlocks that hung down past his shoulders. She was so distracted that she didn’t notice the dark area just beneath the large rock she stood next to.

She screamed out as something grabbed her ankle and she fell, completely caught off guard. It dragged her backwards as she reached out, trying to grab onto something solid, but her fingers merely raked over the small, smooth river stones. She kicked out with her free leg and felt her boot hit something, but the grip on her ankle only tightened. “LET GO!”

Solas whipped his head around when he heard Evelyn scream out, his blood running cold at the sight of what he could only describe as a monster had her by an ankle and was attempting to drag her into the dark opening of a cave. “NO! Evie!” he said, gripping his staff tightly as he looked for a clear shot, ice forming at the tip of his staff. He would have to freeze the half dragon, half human nightmare.

Evelyn heard the whoosh of an arrow and barely ducked her head, feeling it rush past her cheek. The grip on her leg loosened and she crawled forward, then rolled and backpedaled until she could get to her feet. The creature lay just beneath the large stone, an arrow protruding from its eye. She shook all over, trying to catch her breath as she looked around wildly. Her eyes went wide when they landed on the blonde elf standing there with a smug look on her face. “Sera?”

Sera grinned. “Couldn’t let you lot have all the fun,” she said and strode forward to retrieve her arrow. “Been followin’ you the whole way out of the city,” she explained as the others came running back to see what had happened. “You would’ve noticed that if you hadn’t been makin’ lovey-dovey-googly eyes at Solas.”

Solas drew his magic back in as he pressed his lips thin, looking at the younger elf. The way she had said it didn’t sit right with him. “Sera, how... wonderful... of you to join us,” he deadpanned. He mentally scolded himself, it could have been worse. It could have been Vivienne, but as if that mage would ever use her power and influence to actually help someone with nothing to gain from it. He looked to Evelyn, “Are you alright?”

She gave a quick nod. “Just took me by surprise,” she answered.

Dorian scowled at the dead monster on the ground, eyeing the opening of the cave with distrust for a moment before he blasted the corpse with a wave of fire until it was a charred black mess. “Cannot be careful enough with these things,” he muttered.

Bull managed not to sigh at Dorian. It if made him feel better, then let him do it, he reasoned. “Looks like we found that entrance,” he said. He shot Sera a grin. “Just in the nick of time, as always.”

She beamed at him. “Well of course,” she answered before she shot a nasty look at Solas. “Not exactly like I missed you either,” she hissed. She blinked as Cole appeared next to the other elf. “Oh and look, you brought Creepy with you. Well that’s just grand.”

Cole smiled happily at the archer. “Hello Sera. It is good to see you again, but why do you want to shoot an arrow in my face? I don’t think that’s how you are supposed to say hello,” he said, tilting his head in confusion. 

Sera tore her eyes away from the spirit. “Don’t talk to it. Just don’t talk to it,” she muttered to herself before she looked up again. “Right. So what’re we doin’ about these creepy bastards that come slinkin’ up from underground? They’re hurting people an’ I heard you lot were going to try to stop them. I want to help.”

Varric kept his crossbow cocked and ready, aimed at the cave’s opening in case another one wanted to pop out. “You’ve got great timing, Buttercup. We were going to have our two mages here work on redirecting water into the caves to hopefully drown every last one of them before they can kidnap any more people and change them.” 

“Ehhh,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “That’s what they’re doin’? I thought they were just killin’ people, but that’s worse!” She paused for a moment, thinking over their plan. “So you’re takin’ a page outta whats-his-face’s book from Crestwood? I mean, I suppose that’ll work.”

Evelyn nodded. “That’s the plan. Wasn’t exactly the way I planned on finding a way into the caves…” She trailed off, angry with herself for letting her guard down while out on a mission. Solas had never distracted her like that before. Embarrassment washed over her for such a foolish act. 

“We should mark this so it is easier to find when we come back,” Cassandra said. “We need to get enough lyrium for Dorian and Solas to do their work.” She cast a glance at Dalish, thinking the elf could help, but then remembered that she liked to pretend she wasn’t a mage. 

Varric nodded. “And we don’t want to get ambushed by walking on top of them, it’d be far too easy for them to get away from us,” he said as he shifted his pack off of his shoulders to pull a bright red flag from his supplies and moved to tie it to a nearby tree. “Though, Sparkler, if you want to set any more things on fire, I’m sure that would help out too.” 

“It was therapeutic, thank you very much,” Dorian countered as he frowned at the Draak on the ground, “I’m not apologizing for that.”

“You don’t have to,” Bull said firmly, his tone clearly challenging anyone to say otherwise. 

Sera was tempted to ask Dorian if he made a habit of charring dead enemies now, but the tone of Bull’s voice and the look in Dorian’s eyes actually made her think twice about it. She’d always gotten along with the two of them and she wondered if there was a story there. Oh well, she’d hear it sooner or later. 

Evelyn turned away from the charred Draak and looked out over the large, churning river. Suddenly seeing one of those things wasn’t so appealing. The smell of burned flesh stung her nose and she walked closer to the water, wrapping her arms around her middle. She was glad to see Sera, she really was, and more than grateful that the elf had killed that nasty thing. But she couldn’t believe Sera had caught her staring at Solas. What an embarrassing reason for getting ambushed.

Solas watched as Dorian turned away from the group, moving over to Krem, the two sharing a knowing look together before they wandered away. It only made his blood boil at the thought of what they had suffered at the hands of these monsters. At what others were suffering at their hands. It made his stomach churn to think of what innocents were down there in the mines suffering at that moment. Perhaps some still clinging to the hope of rescue, perhaps they were already too far gone. At the rate the Draak kept appearing, he would say that they seemed desperate. Perhaps they were not waiting for a person’s mind to break before they started feeding them the blood. The need to find a “queen” so great they could not afford any delays. 

Varric snorted, “I’m not blaming him. Those monsters tried to kidnap my son.” His mouth pulled back in a sneer at the thought and he shared a look with Cassandra. They had both talked, at length, about Dorian after they had returned from the mines. To be honest, the dwarf was surprised the man had kept his shit together as long as he had. 

“Oh that’s right, you and Cassandra have little monsters of your own now, don’tcha?” Sera asked. “How many are there now?”

“Two,” Cassandra answered, uncertain whether or not she was happy Sera had showed up. She supposed it didn’t matter, the elf was here to help. Though the thought of letting her stay in their home troubled her.

“Aww, just two? Varric, you’re slackin’. I figured you’d have twice that by now,” Sera teased as she leaned her elbow on his shoulder. 

Varric wasn’t sure if he should be offended or not that Sera was using him as an armrest. “Dwarven-human babies, Buttercup.  We are lucky to have the two of them at all, and Lily isn’t even a year old yet.” 

“Ohhh yeah,” she said as if she had just suddenly remembered. “Right. Well… Good for you, then.”

Bull shook his head. Leave it to Sera. “We should keep searching the area,” he said. “Seal off any other entrances we might find. Make it harder for them to escape. Be careful and pay attention,” he said, not looking at Evelyn as she glanced his way, though it was directed at her. “These things are getting bolder by the day. I’ve never seen them attack in daylight like that before.” He shouldered his axe and nudged Dorian, turning back the way they’d come. 

Evelyn pulled her bow from her back and notched an arrow, determined to not be surprised like that again. She set out down the riverbank, her eyes roaming over the land, keeping an eye on her companions, everywhere except Solas. She didn’t want to hear it from Sera again.

Solas carefully walked along through the woods, his staff at the ready. He casually observed Evelyn without being too obvious. He should have been able to pick up on Sera following them, but he had been distracted. The thought unnerved him more than it should. It sent guilt through him that Evie had been distracted because of him. One more thing upon his shoulders. “I do not suppose, Cassandra, that you know how many entrances they have closed thus far? I asked yesterday, but the number was beyond counting, or so they told me.”

Cassandra nodded. “That is what I have heard as well,” she said. “From what we know, the cave system and mines are vast, there is no telling how many passages lead to the surface. The best we can hope for is that we catch them by surprise when we flood it. Any that are driven to the surface should not last long. We do not believe they can survive long in the sunlight.”

“Necessity can surprise anyone, Seeker. We might yet be surprised at what they are capable if pressed. One would think that a creature, born and raised in the dark would be adverse to sunlight. However, we must not forget, these creatures used to be people, not unlike you or I. They were born in the light. We should be prepared if that somehow plays a factor in the events to come.” 

“I agree. We shall warn others to be prepared to defend themselves. We know that the Draak are intelligent, it is possible they will find a way to adapt.” She shuddered at the thought. “People must be warned that it will still not be safe to travel after dark for quite some time. Not until we are certain we have dealt with all of them.”


	5. Chapter 5

It was after dark by the time they arrived back at the Hanged Man and it was decided that it was far too dangerous for Bull and Dorian to try to make it back to Hightown. It would be crowded for the night with everyone staying there, but it was better than taking the risk.

It had been a long day, traipsing over the landscape, searching out any entrances to the caves they could find, Dorian and Solas taking turns making certain the few they found were sealed. An order was placed for lyrium as soon as they returned to the Hanged Man, though it would take about a week for it to arrive.

“Finally,” Cassandra breathed as she closed the door to Anthony’s room. “You would think after that experience in the mine that he would not want to hear more about it. He is far too curious and imaginative.” She shot her husband an accusatory look as she went to sit on the floor, leaning against the wall.

“You say that like it’s my fault he has such a vivid imagination,” Varric said as he poured her a glass of wine, passing it to her. He glanced to Dorian and Bull as they came into the room. The Tevinter mage had a full bottle clasped in his hand and he made for Cassandra’s side, sliding down the wall next to her.

Cassandra glanced between the glass of wine in her hand and the bottle in Dorian’s. “I am going to develop a drinking problem,” she muttered before she took a healthy swallow from her glass. “Sorry the best we can offer you and Bull are some cots for the night. I did not realize we would be out so late. We won’t take so long tomorrow, we’ll make certain to be back in time for you to make it home. I just did not want to see you take the risk.”

“My dear Cassandra, if there was ever a place to be stranded, this bar is rather the place to be,” he said as he took a swig from his bottle, “I would say I’d rather not repeat this day over again, but I don’t think my luck is going to hold out. Bloody creatures. Oh, and you can give the cots to someone else. Bedrolls will work just fine. And covers. Bull is a fantastic pillow I’ll have you know.”

Varric shook his head at them. “Don’t know what we are going to do with you two.” He moved to sit down at the table, “Tiny, you want to see if any of the others downstairs are up for a game of Wicked Grace?”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Bull said and headed downstairs.

“I’m always up for a game,” Evelyn said and settled herself at the table, reaching to shuffle the cards. It gave her something to do, something to keep her hands busy. She was still feeling rather stupid after everything that had happened that day.

Cassandra grabbed a book and sat down again beside Dorian, flipping to the place they’d left off the last time they’d read together. It wasn’t one of the romance serials, she didn’t think she could stand to hear Sera’s commentary on that. She gave a jump as Cole suddenly appeared. “Must you just pop up like that? You would think I would be used to it by now.”

Cole tilted his head, looking at the book in her hands as he moved to lay down on the floor, his head in Cassandra’s lap. He looked up at her, his blue eyes wide. “Are you going to read to me again? I enjoyed it when you read to me last time. Especially about the rabbits.” He smiled, “There need to be more rabbits in stories. Everyone would be much happier.”

“No, we are going to make Dorian read to us,” she answered and handed the book to the mage as she leaned her side against his. Thunder rumbled low in the distance and she sighed, sipping her wine. “This is a good night.”

“What!?” Dorian asked, feigning offense as he plucked the book from her fingers and turned it so he could see the cover. A grin spread across his face. “My my my, Hard in Hightown. And here I was thinking you couldn’t resist the allure of Swords and Shields. I need to talk to Varric about that latest chapter, by the way. He purposely called me a Magister in there, I know he did,” he grumbled as he opened up the book to the first page as he moved his arm holding the wine bottle around Cassandra’s shoulders and settled her more comfortably against his side.

Cole blinked up at Dorian from his position on Cassandra’s lap, his hat obscuring most of his vision of the mage, “But you liked that chapter. Especially after Bull made you read that part aloud in the…”

“I’ll thank you not to go narrating what I do in private, thank you very much. That is besides the point.”

Cassandra tried to stop herself from laughing and ended up snorting painfully through her nose.

“Bunch’a weirdies,” Sera muttered at the three of them and settled herself at the table as Bull returned with some of the Chargers.

“She is just jealous we did not invite her for storytime,” Cassandra said matter-of-factly. She reached over and tugged Cole’s hat off to set it aside. Rain began to splatter on the windows and a smile crossed her lips as she leaned her head on Dorian’s shoulder. “Are you going to read to us or not?” she asked and ran her fingers through Cole’s pale blonde hair.

“Yes yes, impatient.” He cleared his throat and began to read the story to them, embellishing in the words as if they were a fine wine that rolled off of his tongue, “They say coin never sleeps….”

Blackwall chuckled as he came into the room, taking an empty seat near Krem as he glanced over in the bedroom area at the trio reading. “There’s an unlikely group if I ever saw one. Just like old times back at Skyhold,” he said as he placed his tankard in front of him. He warily eyed Solas as he came into the room. “Oh no. And here I thought I would actually win something tonight,” he grumbled.

Solas just smiled innocently as he sat next to Evie, “I have no idea what you are talking about, I am sure. It is not as though we are playing Diamondback.” He fondly recalled when Blackwall offered to play cards with him, offered to “teach” him how to play. It had been an opportunity he couldn’t have passed up. There was nothing better in a game than others who thought you couldn’t bluff.

“Clothes are staying on this evening, gentlemen and women,” Varric said as he reached out to take the shuffled deck from Evie and let the well worn cards flip through his fingers before he started dealing, “Not when the impressionable five year old is asleep in the next room. Or pretending to be. He likes to wander sometimes, calls it sleep walking.”

“Ah, you’re no fun,” Bull grumbled as he arranged the cards in his hand. “You know that kid sleeps like a log once he’s finally out.”

“Trying to get everyone naked, Bull?” Evie teased and peered at him over the top of her cards. “I shall have to write Cullen and tell him he missed out. It wouldn’t be the same without our Commander here.” She tossed a couple coins to the middle of the table, trying to keep her expression neutral. She wondered if they remembered her tells or not and thought it best to try to hide them.

“We’ve seen Cullen naked too many times,” Bull muttered without looking at her. “It’s lost its luster at this point.”

“If any of you are plannin’ on strippin’ off, I’m out,” Sera threatened. She gave Varric a suggestive smile. “Unless you think you can talk Cassandra into playing with us.”

“I heard that!” Cassandra called out and Sera doubled over in a fit of giggles.

“Yeah, I’m going to have to decline Buttercup. Not sure how I feel about my wife stripping for your benefit. She hasn’t quite grasped the concept of keeping the cards to herself yet.” He smiled over at the Seeker, winking at her, “Love you.” He looked back to the table, “Besides, why don’t you go after the Inquisitor?”

Sera snorted at that. “Because she’s already got her eye on someone else,” she replied, shooting an almost accusatory look at Solas. “Don’tcha remember? That’s why she almost got dragged off to be turned into one of those slimy underground bastards. She was too busy making doe-eyes at Solas.”

“Sera!” Evelyn hissed, her face burning hotly. If she could’ve crawled under the table and died, she would have. “I was not… ‘making doe-eyes’ at anybody! I… I was keeping an eye on everyone,” she stammered lamely. Oh, she was never very good at lying and knew the hot blush over her whole face had to be giving her away.

“Suuuuure you were,” Sera drawled and added her own coin to the growing pile in the middle of the table.

Solas raised an eyebrow at the admission, letting his gaze flicker to the woman next to him, the rosy blush on her cheeks was quite fetching. He was rather surprised to find that she had been observing him so closely. How very interesting, but it shouldn’t matter. He scolded himself as he looked through his cards as he calmly said, “I do believe it is the hair. Still trying to come to terms that I have it. I realize how distracting it can be to go from nothing at all to this.” He grinned as he tossed some more coin into the center of the table.

“Mmmm, maybe we should let everyone bet their clothes, Varric,” Sera said. “I bet Evie here would like to win a few hands against Solas if that were the case.” She lowered her voice to a dramatic whisper, looking at Solas again, “I don’t think it’s the hair she was staring at.”

Evie groaned and let her forehead drop to the table. “Remind me why I’m friends with any of you.”

“Because we keep you entertained, Boss,” Bull answered simply and laid his cards out on the table. He huffed when he saw Solas’s cards. “That plan wouldn’t work anyway, Sera. You know he almost always wins. Smug little asshole,” he muttered under his breath.

Solas pretended not to hear him. “How have you been Iron Bull? Wouldn’t care for another chess game would you?” he said knowingly, but casually glanced at Evie. Had she really been watching him that closely? A voice in the back of his mind told him he didn’t deserve her. He didn’t deserve any one. He was still atoning for his mistakes. He didn’t deserve happiness.

“Hey, any time you wanna rematch, I’m game,” Bull said as Varric shuffled and dealt a second round of cards. The glances Solas kept shooting the Inquisitor weren’t missed by him and a little smirk pulled at the corner of his lips. “If you think you can concentrate enough to win a second round,” he added casually, unable to resist taking a jab at the elf, though he wasn’t about to be as blunt about it as Sera.

Krem sat back in his chair and crossed his arms with an amused expression on his face. He leaned towards Blackwall slightly and muttered, “I don’t know about you, but I could care less about the cards. I’m just here to listen to the banter.”

Evelyn lifted her head and gathered up her cards again. “Yes, because that’s what we need. To listen to the two of you carry on for the next week barking chess moves at each other,” she teased, the blush on her face finally fading. She liked Sera, she really did, but sometimes she really wanted to kick her, too. She dared to glance at Solas out of the corner of her eye, wondering what he could possibly be thinking about all of this. She didn’t want him to feel awkward around her or for Sera’s words to somehow change their friendship. She had to stop herself from sighing; what a mess.

Varric chuckled and nodded at Krem. “See? It’s what I’ve been saying. I play for the conversation. Sure, the coin is nice too, but that’s when you start losing is when you care more for the gold than the people you play with.”  He laughed as Blackwall shook his head, laying his cards down, “Not feeling adventurous, Hero?”

“Not looking forward to carrying around a light coin purse for the next week,” he muttered, but tossed a few more silvers into the pile. He could care less about the banter going on between them all, trying to take a few jabs at Evelyn. As far as he was concerned, if she wanted to have a bit of fun, what was the harm? No need to needle the poor woman when she had their best interests in mind. If there was anyone who needed to do something for herself, it was that woman. A smirk tugged at his lips as he thought of something else; Solas was fair game. He grinned over at Sera, “Now now, you know Solas has those ‘friends’ of his in the Fade.”

A wicked grin split Sera’s face. “Oh that’s right!” she practically purred. “You still doin’ that? Making _friends_ with spirits?” she asked, drawing quotations in the air with her fingers. “That must keep you plenty busy. I bet all the sexy spirit ladies like the new hair. Is that why you grew it out?”

“Oh for… not this again,” Solas said, his face growing hot and he flicked his cards up again, before he looked around the group for any tells, letting his gaze land on Blackwall and Sera as they giggled like children. “I had hoped the years would have done something to mature your minds. Clearly I was mistaken on the matter,” he said, his forehead twitching as a vein throbbed. It was annoying, but he could use this to his advantage. Let them think it would screw with his game. He would have the last laugh before the night was out. He made sure to sound exasperated, “I told you before it is not that simple a question to answer. Nothing about the Fade is simple.”

Evie was surprised at the sudden jolt of jealousy she felt as she wondered if he had that sort of a relationship with a spirit in the Fade. She shook her head and folded her hand, unable to concentrate on the cards at the moment. “Oh you two stop,” she scolded, though she made sure to keep her tone pleasant. “If Solas has a relationship with someone in the Fade, that’s his business.” She paused and gave him a sly smile, “Though I do imagine the new hairstyle would attract some attention.”

Solas narrowed his eyes. “Not you as well,” he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face before he raised the bid, tossing in a gold piece. “I have many relationships with spirits in the Fade, but hardly in the way all of your minds drag that through the gutters.” He snorted and picked up the two new cards Varric slid towards him, “Children.”

Evelyn frowned slightly at that. She was trying to flirt, to give him a compliment, and obviously it came out wrong. She gave a soft snort as the others folded their hands and let Solas take the round, not wanting to match his wager. It seemed she couldn’t do or say anything right that day. She grabbed up the next hand of cards dealt to her and she sat back in her chair, arranging them for a moment. “Maybe I should stop while I’m ahead,” she muttered, “I can’t seem to win today.”

Varric exchanged a look with Iron Bull. They both could see what she was trying to do and he chuckled, casually tossing in his bid, “Don’t give up yet Inquisitor, you just have to know when the opportune moment comes about against your opponent.”

She quirked an eyebrow at him, a slightly amused smile on her face. “Aw, I thought you were gonna go really cliche with that one and tell me to play my cards right,” she teased. She sat up a little straighter and tossed in more coin, raising the bet. “I’m not giving up. I think my luck’s about to change,” she said, sounding more confident than she felt.

Blackwall winced as he looked at his coin purse and shook his head. “I am going to regret this,” he muttered as he added his coin to the pile. If he didn’t win this round, he was going to have to bow out and retreat to lick his wounds.

Solas was enjoying himself too much, trying his best to hide his smile as Sera and Blackwall put their coin into the pile. Revenge was good. Even better when they didn’t know he was playing them.

Sera banged her mug on the table and smacked her lips, then tossed in more coin. “Plannin’ on gettin’ lucky tonight, eh, Inquisitor?” she asked with a giggle. This was too much fun and she couldn’t seem to stop. The blush on Evie’s face was too cute. And even better, she knew she was getting under Solas’s skin. It was like she had to make up for five years lost time of teasing them. She’d have to start in on Dorian tomorrow and she made a mental note not to forget. She would’ve done it now, but he looked so content with Cassandra that even she didn’t have the heart to antagonize him now.

Evelyn smirked right back at Sera. “Maybe I am,” she answered in an almost seductive tone and raised the bid again.

That caught Solas’s attention and he looked to her. The low, sultry tone of her voice reminded him of last night when they had been drinking. He didn’t think she had been aware of herself doing it then, but now was unmistakable. At the moment, he wasn’t certain if she was joking or if she was serious. What would he do then if she was serious? Turning her down would be kinder in the long run, but what she had said earlier was sticking with him. About living in the moment? Perhaps this was just a moment out of time, a brief respite before he would have to focus on reality again.

“Oooo, look at you being all sassy,” Sera teased back. She liked that even better than embarrassing the Inquisitor. She much preferred it when Evie would joke back with her and she was reminded of the pranks she’d talked the Inquisitor into playing back at Skyhold. She wondered if they could do the same here at the Hanged Man, how far she could push it without Varric kicking her out. Oh there were so many things she could get into. She glanced at her cards, debating for a minute before she tossed in more coins. “Careful,” she drawled slowly, “or you might end up the subject of Varric’s next Swords and Shields.”

Bull laughed at that. “I don’t know. She might have to fight Dorian over that one. Don’t let him fool you, he likes reading about himself even more than he lets on,” he said before he glanced over at his lover. The three of them looked as though they might fall asleep as the storm outside rumbled again.

Varric chuckled. “Yeah, sorry about that, Buttercup. Tiny and Sparkler are just too good to pass up. A writer’s gold mine for my terrible romance novels. You have no idea how well they are selling right now,” he said as he looked over his cards and compared it to the current bid going around. He shook his head, “I’m out. Cassandra will have my head if I lose any more.”

Blackwall snorted. “Yeah, me too. It feels good to know that I’ll be keeping my pants on for this one,” he said as he gave Solas a look.

“Still bitter about that?” he asked as he took another card from Varric, feigning disinterest as he looked over his hand while waiting for everyone else to finish. “No takers? What happened to your sense of adventure, I wonder?”

Evelyn stared at the cards in her hand, wondering how bold she should be. She looked at Solas with hooded eyes for a moment, trying to read him. She never could figure out his tells. She sucked her bottom lip as she looked at her cards again. A full house was a good bet. “I’m in,” she finally said and tossed in three gold pieces, hoping to bluff him in case he had a better hand. Unlikely, but possible.

Solas raised an eyebrow at the bold bid by the Inquisitor. “A daring move. Are you certain that is wise?” he asked in a low voice, watching her carefully. “Are you trying to bluff me, dear Inquisitor?” he practically purred at her, watching the flush spread across her cheeks. “Are you certain you wish to do that?” he asked as he matched her bet.

“Live in the moment, right?” she countered and laid her cards out on the table for all to see. She caught his smirk a split second before he laid his out as well. A straight flush. “Damn you, Solas!” she huffed and playfully slapped his arm before she sat back, crossing her arms, and pretended to pout.

Solas chuckled and scooped the pot towards him, unsurprised when Blackwall stood up, making a hasty retreat for the bar area. It pleased him far more than he thought it should as he pocketed their money into his coin pouch. “Yes, Inquisitor?” he answered rather smugly as he cast a glance at her. “What happened to your confidence?” he asked innocently.

She pressed her lips thin and shot him an unimpressed look. “Apparently I was a bit too confident,” she answered. She watched as Krem and some of the other Chargers got up, deciding that Blackwall had the right idea for more drinks. Evie gave Solas a sweeping look. “Oh, you’re going to pay for that one.”

“Yes, well, obviously she doesn’t need you to bet your clothes, Solas. She can just undress you with her eyes,” Sera said, wrinkling her nose slightly.

“Ah Sera,” Solas drawled, “And here I was wondering if you would ask me to have her bet her clothes so you could be entertained. As if you have not been dressing down the women in this room all night.” He reached for his ale and finished it off, knowing full well Evie’s eyes rested on his pale throat as he swallowed down the drink. “On that note, is anyone up for another round?”

“Pshhh, I’m done,” Sera said and got up, stretching slightly. “You lot are boring as piss tonight. I’m off to bed.” She waved goodnight to Cassandra and Dorian, but paused and leaned over Varric’s shoulder. “Keep Creepy outta my room. Rather face another Draak than to find him in there,” she said, thumbing over her shoulder at Cole.

Varric sighed and looked over at the trio on the floor. An empty bottle of wine hung loosely from Dorian’s fingers as did the book in his other hand. His head was tilted and laying on top of Cassandra’s as her own head laid on his shoulder. Cole was sprawled out, maybe sleeping. He was never quite sure with the spirit. “No promises, Buttercup.” He grinned at her, “What happened to that time where you started calling him a him? I thought you two were doing better.”

She shrugged. “It’s been a long time. I forgot how creepy he… it is.” She shook her head violently as if trying to erase something from her memory. “Anyway, thanks for the food, yeah? I’ll see you in the morning.”

Evelyn watched Sera go and the corner of her mouth twitched. “I am so sending Cole in there tomorrow morning,” she said as she sat up straighter. “I’m surprised I haven’t fallen asleep like them,” she said, nodding over at Cassandra and Dorian. “This storm is hypnotic.” She slumped over on the table and pretended to snore, but giggled the next second. “Maker, I hope I don’t really snore like that.”

Solas chuckled at the thought of Sera waking up to Cole in her room. “If you were to send him in there, I don’t see the harm. Save she doesn’t try to put an arrow in him for the offense,” he said as he stood up, stretching lightly before he bowed his head, “Thank you for the game. We will have to do this again.”

Varric waved him off. “Sure, Chuckles, just as soon as I take out a loan for you to suck up as well. I swear, you are worse than Ruffles. Now there would be a game for the ages. We could let you two play and everyone else takes bets on who will win. It’s a fair game all around,” he said as he looked to Evelyn, “It’s been a long day. Why don’t you get some rest now that you don’t have to worry about Ruffles jumping you with seven different suitors?”

Evelyn snorted and got to her feet. “You know, if I had to choose between listening to those pompous assholes she keeps parading in front of me, or getting dragged off by the Draak… Well, I think I’d be far beneath the surface right now,” she muttered. She smiled, “Goodnight, Varric,” she said and headed to her room.

Solas wasn’t far behind Evelyn as they walked towards their rooms. “Are you quite alright? They seemed a bit... relentless... tonight. A simple mistake should not bear mentioning once the danger has passed. Especially on a matter as serious as this.”  

“I’m okay,” she answered, turning to look at him. “I haven’t forgotten how they are. But Sera did push the issue more than I expected her to.” She felt that fluttering feeling again as she stood in the otherwise quiet hall with him. “What I said earlier, about your hair, I wasn’t joining them in their teasing. It… I… well,” she stammered, then heaved a sigh, blowing a piece of hair out of her eyes. “I was trying to pay you a compliment. I thought it might shut them up. Obviously it didn’t work…”

He raised an eyebrow at her, blaming his boldness on the alcohol consumed and he stepped closer to her, looking down at her. “Oh? And have I caught your ‘attention’, Inquisitor?” he asked in a low voice, watching the way her pupils dilated, growing dark. He couldn’t stop the smirk from tugging at his lips.

Evelyn’s breath caught in her throat, her heart skipping. Did she admit that she’d been staring at him earlier that day, that she had been thinking about him? Or did she deny it and try to hold onto their friendship, avoid risking losing that with him? She answered before she could think on it too much more. “Yes,” she breathed, and reached to carefully twine her shaking fingers with his, closing the space between them as she looked up at him, trying to gauge his reaction.

He hadn’t been expecting that exact response. He didn’t think she would, after everything. He was at somewhat of a loss of what to do. He worked his lip between his teeth a moment, the temptation of having some sort of  outlet in that regard was strong. He had not allowed himself that sort of pleasure in many, many years. He glanced around them a moment, before he acted quickly, grasping her arm and tugging her towards her room. He pushed her inside and shut the door behind him as he pushed her up against the nearest wall, throwing his thoughts to the wind and captured her lips with his own in a punishing kiss.

Evelyn gasped in surprise; she hadn’t expected him to be quite so forceful. But she melted the next moment, a soft moan escaping her throat as she kissed him back. Excitement danced up and down her spine, her stomach full of butterflies as she kissed him. She wrapped her arm around his neck, her fingers slipping through the long dreadlocks as she tilted her head just so, drinking him in as he kissed her passionately. Nothing else existed in that moment. There was only him, his body pressed up against hers, and the sweet taste of his mouth.

This was a terrible idea, he thought, but the way she felt pressed up against him. The soft sounds coming from her spurred him on and in that moment, he couldn’t find a better reason to stop. He had to have more of her and the next moment, he pulled away from the wall so he could wrap his arms around her, pulling her flush against him as he kissed her deeply, sliding his tongue past her soft lips, drinking down her sweetness as he bent her slightly back from the force of his kiss.

Evelyn absolutely swooned at the way he held her. So much passion she’d never felt before in her life. She wrapped her arms tighter around him, clinging to him as if she might completely collapse if she let go now. She let her tongue slide against his, and a soft whine issued from her throat again. _‘Oh, I could die happy now,’_ she thought to herself as excitement and contentment in equal measure radiated through every fiber of her being. She gasped for air as their lips parted, her own feeling hot and bruised from the kiss, and she was left speechless as she held onto him, their lips merely a hair’s width apart. “Wow,” was all she managed to breathe.

Solas couldn’t help but feel that smirk tugging at his lips again, a contentment filling him. It was good to know that he hadn’t entirely lost his touch. He stood her up straight, observing her a moment before he leaned in and pressed another long kiss to her lips, albeit less forceful than the one before. He pulled away a moment later, catching her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Goodnight, Evie,” he purred at her.

Oh the way he said her name made her knees go weak. She felt dazed as she looked at him. She didn’t want him to leave, but she knew if he stayed, things would only progress from there. She knew she wouldn’t deny him if he asked, she wouldn’t want to tell him no. And something in the back of her mind nagged at her that that really could ruin everything. “Goodnight, Solas,” she whispered, her heart hammering so loud in her chest she barely heard herself.

She watched him go, fighting every part of her that longed to call him back. She brushed her fingertips over her lips, which were swollen and throbbing, aching to kiss him again. A rather girly squeak slipped from her mouth as she fell back on her bed and dreamily stared up at the ceiling. She didn’t know what she was getting herself into and in that moment, she didn’t care. All that she knew was that she felt happier after that few moments in Solas’s embrace than she had ever felt while spending hours with the suitors Josephine had presented her with.

She laid there, replaying it over and over in her mind. Oh, she would never get to sleep now. And somehow, she was perfectly okay with that.


	6. Chapter 6

It was rather quiet the next morning as they sat around Varric’s table, nursing cups of coffee and tea. The rain beat relentlessly against the windows, the thunder rumbling loudly as lighting flashed. It was so tempting to crawl back in bed and just sleep the day away. Several at the table jumped when a scream suddenly rent the air, but Evelyn merely smiled into her coffee cup as she recognized it as Sera’s voice. “Ah, music to my ears,” she purred and sipped more of the hot liquid. She would have to think of a way to thank Cole later.

The door banged open and Sera stood there, glowering and looking rather disheveled. “Who sent Creepy in my room?” she demanded and stomped forward, glaring accusingly at each of them until her eyes settled on Evelyn, who was trying way too hard to look innocent. “YOU.”

Evelyn blinked innocently again and flashed Sera a charming smile. “Why I have no idea what you are talking about,” she crooned, but nearly flinched at the sound of her own voice. She almost sounded like Vivienne. 

With a roar, Sera pounced on Evelyn, trying to wrestle the other woman into a headlock. The coffee cup spilled over Evelyn’s hand and she hissed, but fought back. “Dammit, Sera!” She would’ve been amused by it had her hand not been stinging so bad. She threw the elf off and sucked at her hand, wincing slightly. “That’s what you get for antagonizing everyone last night.”

Sera huffed and plunked herself down at the table. “You’re no fun anymore,” she grumbled and narrowed her eyes at Cole as he came into the room. “You stay away from me and my stuff, you hear me?”

Cole blinked innocently at her. “But you were afraid of the dark. Needed to hold onto someone like you did when you were living in the alienage. Noises grinding in the dark, are those more nobles outside my bedroom window? They need to leave us alone. But I dont want to be alone.” He smiled at her, “You are very warm. You should let more people cuddle with you in your sleep. You would be much happier.”

“Get out of my head and stay out of my bed!” she shrieked and drew her knees up to her chest as she sat in the chair. “You’re not right, you know that? Creepy lil bastard.” She shot Evelyn another accusatory look. “You keep him outta my room, you hear? Or next time he’ll end up with an arrow in his eye.”

Solas watched with an amused look as Cole simply scratched his head in confusion and walked away murmuring, “But I can’t be a bastard. I don’t have parents.” 

Solas chuckled and gave Evelyn a smile, “Well played.”

Varric was too busy wiping the tears from his eyes as he laughed, the rest of the company looking amused as well. “Come on, Buttercup. You have to admit that was a good one. Aren’t you all for pranks to lighten the mood?” He grinned, “Or is it that you can’t take as good as you give?”

“Yes, to  lighten  the mood,” she said and reached for a piece of toast, watching Cole with wary eyes. “Not to scare the absolute piss outta someone. That’s going too far.” 

Evelyn almost thought it cute, the way Sera pouted as she chewed her toast, her blonde hair stuck out at odd angles from sleep. “Now we know that’s a lie. Who was it that started collecting spiders because she thought they would freak someone out?”

“Oh yeah,” Sera said, her eyes lighting up for a moment and she giggled. “Alright, fair point. But I still say waking up to him nose-to-nose with me in my bed is going way too far.” She shivered again and took a sharp bite out of her toast. 

“The only thing that would’ve made it better is if we could’ve seen her reaction,” Bull said with a slight laugh. 

“Mmm, but we can imagine it,” Evelyn said as she sopped up the spilled coffee and blew lightly across her hand. “And that’s good enough for me.”

Cassandra shook her head slightly before she leaned over to her husband. “I’m sending them all home with Dorian today. There won’t be anything left of the Hanged Man by the time this is all said and done,” she said, making no attempt to hush her voice as she said it. 

Varric laughed and reached up, pulling her down to sit in his lap sideways. “As much fun it is having the whole gang here, I would have to say that Sparkler’s place is big enough to house everyone better than this place,” he said giving the mage a look.

“What? You can’t force everyone on me,” he said, trying to appear offended, but failing miserably as Anthony bounced on his lap and ate his breakfast. “If you do that, I’ll just have to load this one up with chocolate again. That seems like a fair trade to me.”

“Ughhhh,” Cassandra groaned, her eye starting to twitch. “Anthony full of sugar or living with Sera… Anthony full of sugar or living with Sera,” she muttered under her breath, unable to decide which was the lesser of two evils. She leaned over to rest her head on Varric’s. “Dorian always has to play dirty.”

“Wha? You think I’m worse than him?” she asked, looking over at the little boy who was bouncing and grabbing at the food on Dorian’s plate, chattering with Bull about fighting dragons again. 

“Yes,” Cassandra deadpanned.

Varric chuckled, keeping his arm around his wife, leaning up to kiss her softly. “Don’t worry. He’s not the only one who can play dirty. Hey Sparkler, say you take everyone back to your place, don’t fill Anthony up on chocolate, and I’ll forget about that one hundred crown bet you owe me.”

Dorian winced and found himself nodding before he really had any time to think about it. He was trying to forget about that particular bet. “Yes yes, fine. But if my place is in shambles after everyone leaves, you and I are going to have words.”

The rest of the morning was spent inside while the storm raged outside. Another round of cards was struck up, but without playing for coin, and Bull and Solas seemed to show off by playing another game of chess in their heads while simultaneously playing Wicked Grace. 

Evelyn tried to entertain herself with reading one of Varric’s stories, but the romances left her feeling too hot and bothered, so she put them away with a sigh. She looked up as the room seemed to lighten and she realized that the storm had stopped, at least for the moment. She was eager to get outside for a bit. “Hey, anyone want to come with me to that bakery Cassandra told us about? I wanna get out while the rain has stopped,” she said as she got to her feet and brushed off her pants.

Dorian took a moment to peer outside the window in the bedroom. He shook his head. “As much as I would love to indulge in those tiny cakes, I’m going to have to decline. It looks as though it might start downpouring any moment. I can’t have my hair messed up this early in the day. Do you know how long it took me to get it to this level of perfection here of all places?”

Solas’ ears perked up, twitching slightly and he looked towards Dorian and then to Evelyn, “Tiny cakes?” It was a terrible weakness of his. The cakes in Val Royeaux he had many years ago were delicious. He wondered how the cakes in Kirkwall would match up.

Varric chuckled, seeing the way Cassandra’s eyes lit up as well. He went for his coin purse. “I think I’m with Sparkler on this, but knowing her.” He thumbed at the Seeker. “She’ll want a box of the usual,” he said as he held out a few coins for Evelyn to take, “Just tell the shop owners to get a box of my usual. They’ll handle the rest.”

Evelyn nodded and pocketed the coins. “No problem.” She looked at Solas, noticing how interested he seemed. She felt that excitement again, especially at the thought of getting away from everyone with just him. Still, she didn’t want to seem too eager. “You want me to pick something up for you, Solas? Or would you like to join me?” she asked.

“I could hardly ask you to go alone and pick everyone up something to eat. I will come with you. I would like to see this bakery first hand,” he said, stretching as he stood up, saying, “Knight to e five,” before he grabbed his staff and slipped it onto his back, “We will continue when we return.”

Bull huffed at Solas, considering the placement of the pieces in his mind. “Yes we will,” he growled.

Evelyn couldn’t help but to roll her eyes at them as she headed for the door. Once they were outside, she gave him a small smile. “I was hoping you’d come with me,” she admitted, walking along at a leisurely pace. She felt that fluttery feeling in her stomach once more and couldn’t help but to wonder if he felt even remotely the same. She swallowed, hating how much she doubted herself in that moment. Solas was just so damn hard to read. “I can’t stop thinking about last night.”

The mage tilted his head at her, a slight smile tugging at his lips. “I hadn’t been sure you would have remembered that. There was quite a bit of alcohol consumed last night. I was not even certain that you would want to remember it,” he said as they walked along, letting her lead the way, “I must admit, it has been on my mind as well. Though, I’m not sure if it is wise.”

She felt her heart sink a little at that. “Are we blaming it on the alcohol then?” she asked. “Is that why you kissed me? I only had one glass of wine last night, Solas. I remember.”

Solas looked ahead. “And I certainly did not let the drink I had cloud my judgement so. However, if you had wanted an out...” He trailed off, but looked at her the next moment. “Forgive me, you continue to surprise me. I had thought to take your advice and live in the moment as it were. The kiss was incredible,” he said softly, “Forgive an old elf for thinking too much on the future.”

And just like that, her heart picked right back up again. Incredible? Had he really called it incredible? She considered that high praise from Solas. She paused in her steps and turned to him, catching his hand. “I’m glad you did,” she said softly. “I enjoyed it, too.” She quickly stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, catching the corner of his mouth, and giggled as she pulled away. “Come on,” she said, tugging his hand. “Though I should probably make you buy since you won all that coin from me last night.”

Solas briefly wondered what in the world he had gotten himself into. She was certainly a refreshing change from the lonely life he had been leading. It only made his heart sink to think of what would happen once this was all over and he would have to leave again. He pushed it to the back of his mind. She had asked him to live in the moment and for now, he would do that and deal with the repercussions of such an action later. He let himself smile as she pulled him to the little bakery seated in the Hightown market and immediately upon seeing the little cakes in the shop, he forgot his worries for a time. “Hmm, we will have to tell Cassandra thank you for pointing this place out.”

Evelyn nodded as she looked over the display. She was surprised at how fancy they looked, as though they belonged in a upscale shop in Val Royeaux and not a little market in Kirkwall. “Ooo, there’s so many,” she said and grinned at him. “We might have to try them all.” She giggled at the look he gave her. “Do not underestimate my appetite when it comes to tiny frilly cakes.” Her eyes landed on a plate of little chocolate ones, topped with thin slices of red berries arranged like a flower. She asked the baker for one and could barely contain her happiness when she picked one off the plate. “Mmm,” she moaned softly as the sweet decadence burst over her tongue. She picked up a second one and offered it to Solas. “You have to try this one.”

Solas chuckled at her enthusiasm as he plucked the cake from her fingers and bit into the treat, unable to stop the sound of enjoyment from his throat. He popped the rest of the treat into his mouth and looked back over the cakes, asking for an assortment along with Varric’s box of the usual order. The elf picked up a little cake that had several berries of different colors arranged prettily. He held it up to her lips, “Go on. Try it.”

Evelyn met his eyes as she let him feed her the bite of cake and gently grazed her teeth over the tips of his long fingers, letting her lips linger there for just a moment too long. She pulled back and her eyes fluttered shut as she chewed slowly. She met his eyes again, a sultry little smirk pulling at her lips. “Think we can just hide out here all day and feed each other little cakes?” she asked.

“Such an idea has merit, but I can think of a few places better to feed each other cakes. Certainly away from more prying eyes,” he said in a low tone, a smirk tugging at his lips as he pulled his fingers back and licked the sticky sweet syrup from his fingers, his eyes locked with hers.

“Oh?” she asked as she paid the baker for the rather large assortment of cakes they’d picked out. Something about the way he said it made her shiver. She helped him pack the boxes into his pack to carry back to the Hanged Man. “Do tell,” she said as they prepared to leave. A sudden clap of thunder boomed so loud it seemed to make the air vibrate and she gave a squeak of surprise, flinching, but then laughed at herself as the rain began to pour again. 

Solas laughed as he held onto the boxes, watching the sheets of rain fall down, obscuring the view of the stairs on the other side of the market that led back to Lowtown. “Well, it would appear that Dorian was correct,” he said and looked up at the sky, “I suppose we can wait here for it to die out again.”

Evelyn sighed, a little disappointed that they were going to be delayed. A slow smile spread across her face and she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “You know what I haven’t done since I was little?” she asked, but answered before he could say anything. “Played in the rain.” She stepped out into the downpour as the cool rain washed over her and she tilted her face to the sky with a huge smile on her face. She held her arms out and relished in the feel of the rain for a moment before she laughed and looked at him, still standing there. “Come on, Solas! A little rain never hurt anyone!”

“Yes, but a lot can kill you,” he said in an amused tone. He checked the boxes a moment before he sighed and moved to step out into the rain. It was rather refreshing as it soaked through his clothes and saturated into his hair. He grinned at Evelyn, it dripped off his nose, “I had forgotten how carefree you are, Inquisitor.”

“Not always,” she said, grinning at him through the rain. “But I try to find moments whenever I can.” She couldn’t believe he’d actually done it, standing in the middle of the street while the rain poured down on them. It made her heart warm and pound in her chest. She reached up to slick some of the rain out of his face. “You are so sexy like this,” she breathed and pulled him to her to kiss him again.

It was his turn to be startled as she pulled him down to kiss her. He found himself smiling against her, her lips clean against his own, tasting of the fresh rainfall. The way it soaked through her clothes made it feel as if there was very little between them. He sighed against her as her hands slid up into his hair and he found himself deepening the kiss, moaning against her with want.

Evelyn shivered at the sound of his moan, the feel of his hands on her waist as he pulled her closer. His firm lips were warm and wet with the rain, his mouth tasted like the cakes they’d sampled in the shop. She pulled back, catching his bottom lip with her teeth, and a smirk pulled at her lips again. “Now you’re the one who’s surprising me,” she said and wrapped her arms around his neck, their foreheads touching as the rain dripped down their faces.

He smiled against her. “It has been a few years since I have danced in the rain as such. It is an interesting change of pace,” he said as he leaned down and nipped at her ear, “Shall we head back? It would not do to stay in these wet clothes for long.”

Her breathing faltered and she nodded quickly. His breath was warm upon her ear and it made goosebumps erupt over her skin. She took his hand in her own and together they hurried back to the Hanged Man. 

She was giggling again by the time they hurried through the front door and up the stairs to Varric’s rooms. “We’re back!” she announced as they came in, dripping all over the floor in their soaking wet clothes. She took the boxes from Solas and set them on the table for everyone, though she left one box in his hands. “We even brought some back for you, Dorian, so you didn’t have to get your hair all messed up.”

“Maker, did you get caught in that?” Cassandra asked, her eyes wide as she stared at the two of them. 

“Something like that,” Evelyn said, aware of the fact that she sounded a little too cheery. “We should probably go change.” She turned and gave Solas a gentle push back out the door and shut it behind her. She couldn’t wipe the silly smile from her face. “I really should get out of these wet clothes. They really won’t be impressed with us if we come down with colds right before we go to flood that mine.”

Solas chuckled as he followed her down to her room, coming to a stop outside of her door, the box of cakes in his hand. He looked down at her. “I suppose they would not appreciate us getting sick. Certainly not Dorian. He would not be amused that he would have to redirect the water all on his own.” He reached up with his free hand, trailing his fingers through her drenched hair. He cupped her cheek for a moment as he searched her eyes.

She leaned into his touch, smiling softly at him. She met his eyes and felt as if she were falling into them, the way they seemed to look deep into her soul. But she could see something there, as if he were looking for some sort of answer. “What is it, Solas?” she asked quietly.

He cast a glance at her bedroom door, which was slightly ajar. A small difference from when they had left that morning, he was certain. “I do believe Sera has been in your room since we have been out. Perhaps a bedroll full of lizards or those spiders you reminded her of. My room would be far more safer as I remembered to put wards on my door. Perhaps you would prefer to dry off there?”

“Ugh, Sera,” Evelyn huffed and leaned far back as she shoved the door open with her toe. Nothing fell from the ceiling, which was a relief. “You’re probably right. Let me just grab something to change into…” She trailed off, wary of even entering the room now. “Maybe I’ll just hang up the clothes I have on and wait for them to dry.” She turned to him. “Alright, let’s go dry out in your room.”

She followed him back down the hallway and waited for him to open the door before she entered. The air was comfortably warm in his room and she rubbed at her arms as she turned to watch him shut the door. She hesitated for a moment, chewing her lip. “I hope I don’t sound too forward, but you wouldn’t have something I could wear while I wait for my clothes to dry, would you? I’m just so scared that Sera put spiders in my dresser. I’ll have to see if Cole would mind removing any spiders for me. He doesn’t seem the type to be bothered by spiders.”

Solas chuckled and nodded. “I have an extra shirt and some loose pants, if you don’t mind the ‘apostate hobo’ clothes as Dorian so lovingly calls them,” he said as he moved to a larger pack and opened it up, taking out the folded items and handing them to her. “Cole should not mind removing anything Sera has placed in your room. I will speak to him about it while you change.”

She took the clothes from him and set them on his bed, turning her back to him as he turned towards the door. She grabbed the hem of her wet shirt and pulled it up, struggling to tug it over her head. The stiff fabric was even less forgiving with it being drenched the way it was, and before she even realized what she’d done, she was stuck with her shirt pulled up and her arms awkwardly over her head. “Maker’s balls,” she cursed. She tried to pull the shirt back down, but her shoulders couldn’t seem to move properly. “Damn these wet clothes!”

It was about five minutes before Solas had found Cole and explained to him what needed to be done. Plenty of time for someone to finish dressing themselves. However, the sight that greeted him when he opened the door, had his eyes growing wide and a heat pooling in his belly. He close the door, louder than necessary and leaned casually against it as he watched her, “My my, but Inquisitor. You seem to be having some trouble.”

Evelyn felt her face go hot. “No shit,” she replied dryly. She leaned over to peer up through the shirt at him. “Don’t just stand there and stare. Help me!” She didn’t care how much he might or might not see at this point, she was just tired of struggling with the damn shirt. “Just… just grab it and pull. Please?”

In his younger days, perhaps he would have joked about the obvious innuendo just waiting to be nabbed, but he took pity on her and carefully stepped forward, sliding his hands along her exposed midsection, trailing his hands slowly, but surely up the curves of her body until his fingers caught in the wet fabric and began to raise it up, working it over her arms, and finally her head. 

It left her standing in her pants and breast band in front of him. Her curly brown hair a decided wild mess, a faint blush on her cheekbones. She looked breathtaking. He smiled down at her, tilting his head, “Better?”

“Much,” she answered and crossed her arms over her chest, self conscious of the way the wet cloth clung to her breasts. “Sorry about that,” she said and turned away from him, looking at the shirt he’d offered her that laid on the bed. An embarrassed sort of laugh escaped her. “Good thing you came back or I would’ve been stuck like that for Maker-knows how long.” She rubbed at her face, feeling how hot it was. 

It was a bad idea. A very bad idea. Before he could stop himself he stepped up behind her and reached out to catch her arm, pulling her back against him. “I would not have been so cruel to you,” he said, leaning down to press a kiss to her bare shoulder before he pulled away and turned to unfasten his wet tunic. It was becoming uncomfortable.

A shiver ran down her spine at the way he’d kissed her shoulder. She glanced behind her, watching as he stripped away his tunic, peeling the wet clothes off until she could see the smooth skin of his back, the lightly defined muscles beneath. She decided two could play at that game and she stepped up behind him, pressing a lingering kiss between his shoulder-blades. She felt her heartbeat quicken, her throat constrict, and she barely opened her mouth to nibble lightly at his skin.

“Evie,” he started, not entirely sure what to do with this situation. Continue on, enjoy the afternoon, evening with the wonderful woman. Or insist that this was a momentary lapse in judgement to save them pain in the long run. 

She stopped, but didn’t pull away. Instead she rested her forehead against his back, her hands on his slender waist. Perhaps it was too much too soon. “I’m sorry,” she whispered and pressed a soft kiss to his skin once more before she pulled away and turned her back to him again. She unwrapped the band from around her chest with a sigh. It would be better not to push him, to take things too far this soon.

“Forgive me,” Solas said, his voice gravely as he turned around and spun her towards him. “If you do not want this you must tell me now and I will leave you be. I cannot promise anything but the moment. After, after I am not sure,” he said as he cupped her cheek, looking down her chilled body, drinking in her pebbled nipples, the cold wet skin of her.

Evelyn’s heart raced. “I want you,” she answered breathlessly, sliding her hand up the lean muscles of his arm to the side of his neck. “Whatever this is, however long it lasts, I want it.” She leaned up to kiss him again, pressing herself against him as she moaned softly. His skin was just as damp and chilled as hers was, yet she could feel the warmth of his body at the same time as she slid her other arm around him, holding him a little tighter against her.

He found he could accept that and he slid his hands up into her hair and kissed her deeply, leaning her back as he drank her down pushing her back against the wall, as he slipped a leg between her own. “Evie,” he moaned against her, “Tell me to stop.”

She moaned against his mouth as his leg slipped between hers and she rocked her hips, grinding herself against his thigh. She loved how he pinned her there, the strength she could feel from him. “Never,” she breathed and licked at his mouth, kissing him and sucking at his bottom lip. She ran a hand down his back, kneading at the taut muscles, and let her fingers play along the waist of his pants. She ached to feel his hands all over her, to feel him slide into her body, taking her however he wanted.

His control was slipping, more so since he had absorbed Mythal’s essence. He was more himself than he had been, it made him feel more bold. Back when they had been at Skyhold, he had been so focused on helping them close the Breach, cleaning up his mess. The Inquisitor had caught his eye, she had become a valued friend, one of his closest. He had been blinded by his purpose that he couldn’t have even envisioned himself becoming enamored with Evie now. 

Evie whined and pulled at the laces of his breeches as he teased her core by pressing up harder against her. “Solas,” she breathed hotly as she trailed hot kisses up his jaw to his ear, nibbling at it. She dared to let her hand travel lower, her palm ghosting over the hard bulge of his soaked pants, and her eyes fluttered shut as she imagined how he would feel. “Take me,” she whispered in his ear.

Her words inflamed him in a way he didn’t feel possible and he sighed against her as he picked her up and laid her down on the bed, leaning over her and tilting her chin up as he kissed her deeply, letting his hands slide down over her body, cupping her breasts as he breathed  against her. He moved down her body, pausing to seal his lips around her breast. Her skin was soft, yet firm and only made him crave more. It had definitely been far too long, if this was the only chance he had to enjoy her company, then he was going to make it count.

Evelyn cried out as his hot mouth captured the cool, taut flesh of her nipple. She writhed on the bed as he took his time with her, running his hands over her body as he paid slow, deliberate attention to her breast. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt him unlace her breeches and peel them away, finally leaving her bare before him. 

There was something different about him now than he had been at Skyhold, besides his hair. He seemed somehow more powerful to her, yet more approachable at the same time. It was something in his eyes, something she couldn’t quite place, yet it thrilled her. She wanted to feel that power, to let him take absolute control. She was always looked at to make the decisions, to be the leader, to take control of the situation. The very thought of giving that up to him in this way made her wet and aching for him. 

She reached for the laces on his breeches, pulling at them, loosening them. She threw her head back with a cry as he suddenly switched to her other breast, teasing her with his teeth, sucking fiercely at her. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had wound her up so much, had taken his time to please her like this. Certainly not since the incident at the conclave. And how long ago had that been? Too long, she was certain.

Solas pulled back, sitting back to observe her a moment, breathing heavily as he moved to stand up, his hands going to his trousers as he loosened them and slipped them off, letting them fall to the ground with a wet plop before he kneeled down in front of her on the bed. He was thankful the air of the room was warmed by the fire. Though with Evie’s spectacular vision before him, he doubted he would have needed it. He leaned over her again, pressing their naked bodies together. He let out a sigh as their skin touched and he buried his face against her neck, kissing her beneath an ear before he moved up, licking over the rounded top.

Evie moaned low in her throat at the feel of his weight on top of her. She kissed and sucked at the smooth skin of his neck as she rocked her hips up against him. She gasped out as she felt his hard length against her and it fueled her lust for him even more. She raked her nails down his back, her hand traveling lower to grab his ass. Her eyes nearly rolled in her head at the feel of the firm muscle in her hand. She shivered and giggled as he licked at her ear again. “You’re such a tease,” she said as she shied away from him.

“Simply enjoying good company,” he breathed against her as he moved down her body, kissing down between her breasts. “As embarrassing as it is for me to say, it has been a while. I want to make this last,” he said as he peered up at her, his hair falling over his shoulders to brush at her skin as he slid further down her body, slipping his hands behind her hips, cupping her firm buttocks as he nuzzled at the curls between her thighs, breathing in her sweet scent.

Evelyn felt the blush spread across her face and chest as she spread her legs a little wider for him. A shiver raced down her spine as his breath washed over her center, setting her blood on fire. “Solas,” she whimpered and reached down to touch his hair, the heavy locks still wet with rainwater. She hissed through clenched teeth as she felt the warm brush of his tongue on her sex and her back arched off the bed as she cried out a second later.

Solas smiled against her, moaning against her at the taste of her. She was as sweet as she smelled and he hummed as he slipped his tongue deep inside of her, pausing to flick at her glistening pearl. He couldn’t wait, pulling back and slipping up her body. He lifted her legs around his waist, pressing his length against her warm center.

She was left panting as he manipulated her body to his liking. She trembled in anticipation as she felt his long, hard length against her. “Please, Solas,” she begged, pressing herself against him, the heat in her belly almost too much to stand at this point. It made her breath ragged, her vision hazy. “I need you.”

He couldn’t have stopped himself if he wanted to and at her pleading he pushed forward to slide into her body. She was so tight, he had to squeeze his eyes shut as he focused on not spending himself before they had even gotten started. “Aah… Evie,” he breathed as he settled in her fully, his hips resting against hers as he laid over her. He kissed at her lips, as he let her adjust to him, “So very good.” 

Her breath was absolutely stolen away as he filled her. She grabbed his face with both hands and pulled him down to kiss him before she threw her head back, gasping for air. “Oh Maker,” she cried out. She hadn’t expected him to feel so big within her, stretching her body perfectly around his hard length. She kissed and bit lightly at his shoulder, writhing beneath him. “You’re so big,” she breathed out before she even had a chance to consider her words, completely in awe of how he made her feel.

Solas couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled up from his throat at her admission and he lowered his head to her shoulder in an effort to muffle his amusement as he shook in her embrace. He pulled back to look at her, a smile growing. “Well, thank you for the compliment, Evie,” he said, nipping at her skin a moment before he drew back and slid back in, moaning at the friction. “You are marvelous,” he breathed, “So hot, so tight.” He keened as he bit his lip to stop himself from spending already. 

She wanted to tease him for being such a flatterer, but the pleasure was so incredible, she couldn’t manage it. She lifted her hips to meet his slow, deliberate thrusts, gasping out each time he slid deeply into her body. “So good,” she cried softly, the pleasure making her toes curl. She kissed at his throat, licking at his adam’s apple as she squeezed her muscles around him. A smile crossed her lips as she heard the low groan from him and she did it again, harder, making her body tighter around his hard, thick cock, and her eyes rolled in her head.

Solas groaned again as she squeezed him tightly, making him see stars before his eyes. “If you keep that up, I am not going to last much longer, Evelyn,” he purred at her, his voice thick with passion as he sped up his thrusts into her exquisite body. “Unless that is, of course, your goal at this moment,” he breathed against her, sealing his mouth along her neck, sucking hard at her sweet skin.

She cried out again as he quickened his pace, hitting a sensitive spot deep within her body. The pleasure was so intense it almost hurt. She clawed at his back, barely able to breathe as she squeezed around him again. “Yes,” she breathed before she found her voice, “Yes, Solas! Please… nnnngh… come for me!” She keened beneath him as the orgasm hit her hard, making her scream out in pleasure as the hot waves washed over her body and she clenched down on him harder than before.

Solas couldn’t stop the cry that escaped his throat as she clenched around him tightly as she came. He thrust into her harder, working towards his own completion, holding her tightly against him as he gave a final jerk of his hips and came inside of her, his vision going white from the sheer force of it. It had been a very long time for him. He was gasping as he finally stilled against her, letting his head drop to her shoulder as he braced himself above her, drinking in all of the lingering sensations.

He reluctantly pulled back after a moment, giving a small groan as he slipped free from her and he gazed down at her. Her body with a fine sheen of sweat layered on her skin, the flush that gave her freckled skin a rosy hue. He chuckled at the dazed look in her eyes and leaned over her, pressing a long kiss to her swollen lips before he moved off the bed and went to the wash basin, heating it up with a simple flick of his wrists before he brought the bowl of water bedside and used a washcloth to begin cleaning her up.

She groaned at how empty her body felt now, the sweet ache he left behind. “Hey,” she said softly and grabbed his wrist, stopping him. “Stop. Just lay down with me for a minute.” She tipped her head curiously at him. “Unless you’re just that eager to get me out of here,” she teased, though she didn’t think that was the case. She ran her eyes over his body, drinking in the vision of him, and a smile pulled at her lips. By the Maker, he was handsome.

He smiled at her warmly, dipping the cloth in the basin, rinsing it before he took it out and gently cleaned between her legs. “Am I not able to look after you post coitus?” he asked softly, before he reached out with his free hand, lifting hers to his lips so he could press a soft kiss to her knuckles. He was a man starved for attention. Once she knew the truth about him, she would never want to see him again. He was sure. He wanted to take in all he could while he could. “I wish to do this. Please, allow me to continue.”

Evelyn’s heart gave a soft flutter and she nodded, letting him continue as he pleased. “I’m not used to someone taking care of me,” she said softly, trailing her fingertips down the long muscles of his arm. She hadn’t expected him to be so attentive, so caring. “Frilly cakes, playing in the rain, mind-blowing sex, and now this? Solas, you’re going to spoil me,” she teased, smiling at him.

He let a small smile tug at his lips. “You deserve everything I can give you and more.” His eyes flickered to her hand with the mark. His mark. His power. He had caused her so much pain. So much agony. He knew once the truth came out he would never be forgiven. And the strange part was, he felt himself wanting to tell her everything. He wanted someone he could be honest with, someone he could share his burden with. But the burden was of his own making and no one should have to help him with his punishment. He finished cleaning her off, taking a moment to wipe himself down as well before he returned to her on the bed, sliding them both under the covers before he gathered her into his arms, resting his head on top of hers, “Thank you.”

She sighed happily and nuzzled into him. “Mmm, thank you,” she countered. She blinked slowly, listening to the sound of the rain outside, the sound of his heartbeat, losing herself in the scent of his skin. And just for the moment, she could forget the outside world because all that mattered was him. 


	7. Chapter 7

Evelyn yawned and stretched, giving a start at the feel of the warm body next to her. She blinked when she realized it was Solas and the memory came back to her all at once. She smiled softly and laid her head on his shoulder again, admiring how handsome he was. A sigh slipped from her lips as she drew her fingers across the flat plane of his stomach. She thought she could’ve spent days in that bed, just worshiping him. 

She turned her face into him, kissing at his chest, she smooth skin there. Quietly, she slipped from under his arm, planting slow kisses down his stomach, watching him as he slept. She nuzzled against his length, breathing in the heady scent of him, before she licked at him, watching as he began to stir. The soft groan from his throat only fueled her on as she carefully took him into her mouth.

Solas sat up with a start as he woke up, his eyes wide, his magic swirling around him until he saw Evie’s familiar face between his legs and he laid back with a moan, “Forgive me. I am unused to bed partners. It has been a long while since I have woken with someone.” He smiled down at her, reaching out to brush a few strands of unruly hair behind her ear. His length twitched as her hot breath caressed him. “Please, continue,” he said with a smile. 

She moaned as his length firmed in her mouth and she twirled her tongue around the head as she ran her hands up his thighs. She loved the taste of his skin, the sound of his slightly heavy breathing. She let him slip from her mouth to trace her tongue over a vein, nibbling lightly at the hard flesh. “I didn’t mean to startle you,” she breathed, her lips brushing against him as she spoke. “I just couldn’t help myself.” 

Solas couldn’t stop the delicious shiver that worked through him as her lips ghosted over his sensitive flesh and a groan worked itself from his lips. “Oh, I might be able to think of a few ways you can make it up to me,” he purred at her as he relaxed further in the bed. It was far too comfortable, it felt like a sin. He was too used to sleeping on moss and rocks in the woods. “Usually the creatures that disturb my sleep are the giant spiders after I do not leave enough food out for them. This is much more acceptable.” 

She had to pause and giggle for a moment. “Well I certainly hope so,” she answered and drew her tongue slowly up the length of him. She enjoyed this, pleasuring him at such a slow, leisurely pace. She wrapped her lips around him again, letting her tongue play over the tip before she carefully swallowed him down, sucking hungrily at him. She reached for his hand and twined their fingers together, a contented sigh escaping her nose as she continued to pleasure him.

He moaned out, a rush of air leaving his lungs all at once as he watched himself disappear into those soft supple lips. He couldn’t stop himself as his hips jerked forward into her mouth, his length twitching slightly as she worked a few drops of precum from him. He spread his legs a bit wider for her and he tried to tug her up to him. “Evie, if you do not stop now, I ahh…” He moaned out low as she swirled that wonderful tongue over him. “Mmm, I find I will not be able to hold my resolve for much longer.” 

If she could’ve smiled at that moment, she would have. She didn’t know where Solas had been all these years, what he had been doing, but she had the very distinct impression that he had been alone. He deserved some attention for once, and she was more than happy to give it to him. His warning only encouraged her and she sucked harder at him, bobbing her head over his strong length, loving the taste of him. She looked up at him again, locking her gaze with his, and squeezed his hand in an encouraging sort of way.

The look she gave him had his cock throbbing with desire for her and he grit his teeth, trying to hold onto his his orgasm, not wanting to spend himself so soon. He wanted it to last, but the way she sucked him down, not faltering in her gaze upon him, he found that he was going to lose that battle and quickly. “Feisty little minx,” he breathed as he tilted his head back as she sucked harder and he was unable to stop the jerk of his hips. He could feel his orgasm fast approaching and a blush spread across his skin as he neared his peak, crying out as he was forcefully taken by it. “EVIE!” he shouted as he came, his cock throbbing as he spent himself.

Evie eagerly drank him down, a soft cry escaping her at the incredible taste of him. She let him thrust into her mouth, taking care not to let him slip from her lips. By the Maker, it set her blood on fire to hear him like that, to see the blush on his face, to taste his essence. She worked her tongue over him as he settled back against the bed, still sucking at him, though more gently, taking care to draw every last drop from his length. She finally sat back, letting him slip slowly from her lips. “You taste so good,” she purred at him.

He chuckled, feeling boneless as he relaxed back into the bed. He tugged on her hand weakly. “I am glad you approve,” he said softly, “You must allow me to return the favor when some of my strength returns.” He smiled at her, still hovering over his softening length, her wild hair framing her face, strands looking like a halo in the firelight. He glanced out the window to see the sun starting to set and a smile tugged at his lips, “We may not be at Skyhold, but people will talk. Not that I care.”

“Let them talk,” she said as she crawled up to lay her body over his. She folded her hands over his chest and rested her chin on them. His cheekbones were still slightly flushed and she couldn’t stop herself from smiling at him. “You think we’ll make it into one of Varric’s tales?” she asked, wagging her eyebrows at him.

“If there is anything I know about Master Tethras, he will definitely embellish the tale. Especially with the Seeker demanding more of those terrible books. I have heard that they are doing quite well in Orlais. If only you thought to claim some stipend for nudging him to write that chapter for Cassandra in the first place,” he mused as he tucked her next to him, letting his hand ghost over the soft skin of her back, catching on a scar she had been given by a dragon. He had never felt more content in his life. His heart tugged at him and he wished he could tell her everything. Tell her the truth, that everything was his fault. 

“Ah, those books aren’t so terrible. I tried to read one earlier today, but… well, let’s just say I understand why Cassandra likes them so much,” Evelyn chuckled. She nuzzled into his side, enjoying being held for just a moment before she tilted her head up to kiss at his jaw, the side of his neck. “And you don’t have to return the favor. I’m not keeping score here. I just wanted to do something for you,” she said softly.

He sighed out at her touch, her kiss. A small smile tugged at his lips. “Such a rarity in this world, to want to do something for someone else without expecting anything in return. But you say this like it is a chore to pleasure one another,” he said carefully, raising an eyebrow at her. “I would know the man who made you think this way? Who promised you such pleasure if only you would offer as such in return?” he asked, a flash of anger surging through him at the thought and he pulled her closer, letting his hands, his fingers trace nonsensical patterns over her skin.  

Evelyn blinked at his words, but let him hold her closer, chills racing over her skin at the feel of his fingertips. “It was a long time ago,” she murmured. “It doesn’t matter now.” She heaved a sigh and slid her arm around his waist. “I didn’t mean it like a chore. That’s not how I looked at it. It’s just that you took such good care of me earlier, I wanted to…” She trailed off as the words “return the favor” died on her lips and she realized she was doing the exact thing she didn’t mean to do. “I just wanted to,” she finished lamely.

He chuckled, “Forgive me, I believe I understand.” He reached out, his fingers lifting her chin so he could look into her eyes. “It has been a long, long time since someone has looked out for me. I am unused to the attention, but that doesn’t mean that it is unwelcome. Thank you, Evie,” he said as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips before he drew back. “How about some dinner? You will need all your strength for the night to come. I intend to make sure that you are thoroughly satisfied before morning.”

A smile split her lips and she shivered. “That sounds wonderful,” she purred and kissed him back before she forced herself to pull away and got out of the bed. She grabbed up her clothes, which were thankfully dry now, and pulled them on. She scratched at her scalp, trying to fluff up her hair a bit. “I know I must look like shite,” she grumbled to herself as she watched him dress. “Oh well. I’m not going to get anything out of my room until Cole tells me it’s clear.”

“He thinks you look beautiful,” Cole said appearing in the room, his hands in front of him in loose fists. “I think I got them all,” he said, looking down as he opened his fists, the little spiders crawling up his arms. He laughed, “They tickle.” The next moment he looked up at them both, not caring as Solas was half dressed. “Should I give them back to Sera now?”

Evelyn let out a shriek at the sight of the spiders and instinctively grabbed for Solas, whirling him around to stand between her and Cole. She practically climbed his back, peeking over his shoulder. “Nope!” she squeaked as she watched the dozens of spiders crawling over one another, some of them creeping their way up Cole’s arms. One even dangled from a web attached to his finger. She tucked her head against the back of Solas’s shoulder and made a waving motion with her hand. “Yes! Go give them back to Sera! Go! Go!”

Solas chuckled. “Ah yes. Spiders were what you saw in the Fade against that fear demon, wasn’t it?” he asked before he nodded his head at Cole. “Yes, please give those back to Sera, Cole. And thank you again for your help. When you’ve given them back to Sera, ask Varric for a cake, if there are any left,” he said, trying his best to keep his balance with a woman on his back and his pants around his ankles. He laughed louder as the spirit disappeared, “I believe it is safe to come down now.”

“Is it?” she squeaked and peeked over his shoulder again, then breathed a heavy sigh of relief to see that Cole was gone. She carefully put her feet back on the floor and released Solas, stepping away from him. Her face felt rather hot and she cleared her throat as she pushed her hair out of her face. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I think the little ones freak me out more than the big ones. At least the big ones I can shoot with my bow and I don’t have to worry about them hiding in my dresser drawers.”

Solas laughed as he pulled his pants up, fastening them before he tugged his usual beige shirt over his head and smoothed it down. “True, but I wouldn’t want to be caught unawares by them either,” he said as he held his hand out to her. “Come. The sooner we eat, the sooner we can ignore the world again,” he said with a smile, letting his fingers curl around her own as he led them out the door. 

Evelyn smiled and let him lead her towards Varric’s room, pausing in the hallway when a loud ruckus met her ears. It sounded as though someone was throwing furniture around and for a moment, she was concerned. Until Sera’s voice met her ears.

“NO! I don’t want them back! You’re not supposed to give them back! She’s doing this wrong!” 

Evelyn threw her head back and laughed before she fell into step beside Solas again. “Cole deserves a reward for that,” she mused. Her stomach growled as they walked through the door and the smell of food hit her nose. “Mmm, something smells good. I’m starving.”

Varric laughed. “Speak of the devil, there she is. Come on in, dinner just arrived and there is more than we know what to do with. Krem’s been in the kitchens most of the day cooking up a storm. Help yourself.” He gave them a look, “What exactly have you two been getting up to these past hours? We missed you the entire afternoon.”

“Oh! Ah, just, you know, talking,” Evelyn stammered, mentally kicking herself the entire time. She felt her face go hot as she sat down at the table and Solas sat next to her. “You know, catching up. Getting to know each other again.” The last line almost made her laugh out loud, but she schooled her expression. It wasn’t that she was ashamed to be with Solas, but she rather thought that what they did in private was just that - private. “I wasn’t aware we would be missed. Varric, you always know how to make me feel special,” she teased as she filled her plate.

Dorian exchanged a look with Bull before he grinned at Evelyn. “My dear, everyone knows what you were up to. Good for you by the way. Might want to invest in higher collar shirts for a little bit. Hickies can be a bitch,” he said casually before he slapped a hand over his mouth, glancing over at Anthony who had been ignoring him.

Evelyn’s hand flew to the side of her neck, feeling a heat there and a tenderness under her fingers. She scowled at Dorian. “Nosy,” she accused. She squared her shoulders and sat up straighter, cutting into her dinner. “Okay, you caught me. But I wager my afternoon was much more fun than any of yours,” she said and shot the mage a smirk.

Cassandra looked at her son who was playing with his favorite stuffed nug and didn’t appear to have heard what Dorian said. “You are lucky,” she said as she sat herself at the table next to Varric. Her eyes flicked between the Inquisitor and Solas, a curiosity growing within her, but she decided to keep her mouth shut. She of all people was no one to comment on an unlikely pairing.

Solas laughed as he spooned some of the hot food onto his own plate. “Someone is a bit jealous, I think,” he said as he looked at Dorian before he glanced at Evie. He was sorry he had given her a visible hickie, but he would never apologize for the afternoon they had spent together. “Even after we risked bringing you those cakes from the market in Hightown. If you like, I’m sure Bull would have no objections to giving you a mark to match Evie’s,” he teased.

“Yeah, be grateful, Dorian,” Bull teased, elbowing his lover. He couldn’t stop himself from chuckling at the look Dorian gave him. He gave an approving nod at Solas and Evie. “Good on you two. No sense in wasting an afternoon doing nothing. Though I never would’ve taken you for a screamer, Boss. We heard the two of you all the way across the hall.”

Evelyn closed her eyes and bowed her head for a moment, feeling her face go hot again. “Yes, well,” she said, clearing her throat. She wanted to comment on how good it was, that she couldn’t help but to scream, but everything that came to her mind sounded rather vulgar, especially in front of Cassandra’s son, who might or might not have been paying attention at that point. So she just popped a large bite of food in her mouth and began to chew slowly instead.

“I suppose that makes us even with you now,” Solas commented as he cut into his dinner. “Seeing as anyone hardly had a moment’s respite once you and Dorian got together. I seem to recall an evening when you visited him in the library right above the rotunda,” he said as he lifted his fork and ate, giving them both a look. 

Dorian groaned, feeling his face heating up before he looked at Bull. “I told you someone would hear!” he said, mock punching the Qunari in his shoulder before he went to cover his face. “Yes well, I suppose we are even on that regard.” He looked to Varric and Cassandra, “Your turn.”

“No, thank you,” Cassandra answered stiffly. “I prefer to keep such things private. No one needs to hear me like that.” She shot a look at the Inquisitor, though she didn’t entirely disapprove. She was just curious as to how it had happened, if the two of them had been involved while back at Skyhold. She supposed she would find out sooner or later what the story was; nothing was secret for very long. She sighed as she cut into the perfectly cooked meat. “Why is Sera screaming?”

“Because I made Cole return the spiders she snuck into my room,” Evelyn answered. “If she wants to keep playing these games, we’ll play.” She ate for a minute, savoring the food. “Bull, you have to turn Krem loose in the kitchen more often. I didn’t know he liked to cook.”

“It was that or let him make more of the stuffed nugs,” he answered. “And frankly, there are too many stuffed nugs as it is. He gets bored easy if we aren’t out fighting.” He huffed in mock irritation. “I still can’t believe Cullen wouldn’t lend us a trebuchet for the afternoon back at Skyhold. I wanted to see how far they would fly.”

“As if your Ben’hassrath mind couldn’t figure out the trajectory on your own,” Varric said between a bite of food. “You just wanted to see if you could hit one of those snoflurs from the battlements,” he said confidently, but couldn’t stop the grin from spreading on his face before he shook his head. “Anyway, Sparkler, you are going to take everyone back to your place tonight right? I’m feeling a little ‘blocked’ as it is. I don’t need an audience for some alone time with the Seeker.”

Dorian huffed as he continued his meal, rolling the current mouthful on his tongue, relishing in the heady spices that were used in it. It reminded him of home. “As soon as the rain lets up, I will gladly let everyone follow me back to the estate. Even Sera, if she promises to not try anything funny while she is there. No thanks, but I’d rather not end up with a bed full of spiders. Its terrible for the libido.”

“What’s that?” Sera asked as she walked in. “We goin’ to your place, Dorian? That’s fine by me, so long as I get a room far away from THEM.” She glared at Solas and Evelyn as she stomped forward. She plucked a spider from her own hair and dropped it on Evelyn as she walked past, giggling as the Inquisitor jumped up, slapping at herself. “Tha’s what you get. You wanna keep goin’? It’ll be bees next.”

Evelyn’s shoulders slumped as she looked at the elf, her hair stuck out at odd angles around her face from slapping away the spider. “You started it,” she muttered and sat back down next to Solas. She caught the look Sera gave her and had the distinct impression that the elf wasn’t happy with her and it had nothing to do with Cole or spiders.

Solas reached under the table to give Evelyn’s knee a squeeze as he looked at her with concern before he turned back to his meal. He knew the look that Sera gave her. Sera, for all her faults, was fiercely protective of her friends and those she considered family. He couldn’t help but think that her suspicions were well placed in this instance. It only made him feel more rotten on the inside. For taking the pleasure that was offered freely by this human. But he wanted it. Oh how he wanted it.

* * *

 

They finished their dinner and headed back to their rooms to gather up their things to travel to Dorian’s estate. Evelyn had to admit, she was a little excited to see Dorian’s home. She was curious to see what it would be like. She was happy to find her belongings blessedly spider-free and she slung her pack over her shoulder as she grabbed up her bow, then looked around to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. “It’s open,” she called when she heard a knock at the door. She turned and smiled when she saw Solas standing there. “Hi, handsome,” she greeted him.

It hadn’t taken him long to pack up his things. He was used to carrying everything he needed on his pack. He smiled at her greeting and drew her into his arms, kissing her swiftly, before he pulled back and smiled at her, “Hello.” He lifted a hand and ran his fingers through her hair. “Are you ready for what comes next?”

Her mind immediately went to naughty places, but somehow she suspected that wasn’t what he meant. She let her hands rest on his waist as she looked at him, stepping a little closer. “And what would that be?” she asked. “I’m sure whatever it is, we can handle it. We always do.”

He smirked at her. “I was thinking about the near future. As in the ten minute walk that it will take us to reach Dorian’s estate in Hightown. As for the future you speak of, I imagine we will be prepared for it. No matter what the cost. My wish…” he said as he trailed off. He had no claim to wishes. He gave that up when he sealed the pantheon away. He had many punishments headed his way, and he wasn't sure that he would be able to survive them all. 

“Oh!” she laughed. “The way you said it, I thought you meant something deeper than that.” She tipped her head at him, noticing the look in his pale eyes, the way he didn’t finish his sentence. “What do you wish for?” she asked softly and reached up to touch his chin, turning his face to her. “You can tell me, Solas. It’s okay to open up a little.” She soothed her thumb over the smooth skin of his jaw, giving him an encouraging smile. “What is it?”

He hesitated, wondering what he could say to her in this instance. He closed the door to her room as she regarded him and he pressed his lips together. “I wonder if you would answer me a question, Evie,” he said, hesitating on his words, “What would you do if... someone close to you told you a falsity?” He looked away from her. “What if someone lied to you with all of the best intentions?”

The question struck her as odd and she blinked at him. “Well… I guess it would depend on the lie,” she answered thoughtfully. “I mean, people lie for all sorts of reasons. If it was to spare my feelings over something trivial, I guess it wouldn’t bother me too much.” She studied him for a minute, wondering if he was going somewhere with this. A dark look crossed her face. “But if it was something else, something bigger, I’d feel betrayed. I don’t give my trust to just anyone and I don’t appreciate that trust being broken. I don’t know that I’d ever trust that person again.” She tipped her head at him. “Why do you ask? Is there something I should know? Has someone in our circle done something?”

Solas knew that would be her answer. It would be anyone’s answer. He would answer the same way, so why should he have thought that hers would be any different? “No, it was just a hypothetical question. I would do the same. I would push that person away and never speak to him again, if that were to be the case.” 

She studied him a moment longer. “You almost look disappointed,” she said, staring deep into his eyes as she tried to figure out where the question had come from. He was so hard to read, there was no telling what was going on inside his mind. “You know I wouldn’t lie to you, right? I would never betray your trust like that,” she said, wondering if he was worried about her loyalty, her honesty. She didn’t want him to doubt her like that.

He gave her a small smile, pulling her towards him so he could seal his lips around her in a passionate kiss. He drank her down for as long as he could before he had to pull away and let her go. “I know you would never, Evie. I thank you for that.” He closed his eyes and turned away from her to gather his things, “I imagine anyone who would lie like that... they would not be pleased of their actions and the pain it brought you.”

She gave a laugh as she followed him out of her room and shut the door behind them. “HA! I doubt anyone who did such  a thing would have long to dwell on it. Can you imagine what the others would do to someone who hurt me?” she asked. “Bull. Cassandra. Varric. YOU. Any of them, really. And I would do the same for them. I know it’s been years since we were all together like this, but I don’t doubt anyone’s loyalty.” 

She glanced around to make sure no one else was in the hallway with them. “Remember how everyone reacted to Blackwall when they found out he’d been lying to us all along? It took him quite a while to earn their trust back. And he, well, he’s a good man, but I still wonder in the back of my mind if he’s always telling me the truth or not. I know he’s made up for everything he did, but there’s part of me that will never completely trust him. Not the way I trust the rest of you,” she admitted quietly.

“The healer's hands are always the bloodiest,” he said quietly before he spared Evelyn a smile. “Thank you,” he said as he moved to get his things, “I apologize. I had hoped we would have the night together alone.” He closed his pack and slung it over his shoulders as he turned to look at her.  

She tipped her head at him again. “We still can, if you want. I imagine Dorian has plenty of rooms at his estate. Shouldn’t be hard to find some privacy.” She paused and looked down at her hands, confused about the entire conversation. “Unless you want some time to yourself. We have been sort of attached at the hip today. I don’t want you to feel like I’m smothering you.”

He chuckled and went to her, taking her hands in his and kissing them carefully. “Never,” he said as he pulled her to him. “It would be wonderful to spend the night with you, if you will let me,” he said as he moved to help her pick up her things. 

She gave him a smile and nodded. “I would like that.”


	8. Chapter 8

Evelyn peered into the room and a smile spread across her lips. “Oh, we’re claiming this one,” she said over her shoulder to Solas as she pushed the door the rest of the way open to reveal a large, plush canopy bed. She was more than impressed with the size of Dorian’s home. “Just how much is he making with those hangover remedies, I wonder?” she mused as she stepped inside and dropped her bag on the floor, marveling at the room. “This would make Vivienne cry with jealousy.” 

She turned and grinned at the elf as he shut the door behind him. It was as if she couldn’t stop staring at him and she wondered how she’d become so totally enamored with him in such a short amount of time. Then again, they had known each other for a long time at Skyhold. He’d been one of her closest friends there. It wasn’t as if he were a complete stranger. 

She kicked off her boots and threw her arms wide, then fell straight back on the bed with a happy sigh. “Ohhh, Solas,” she moaned, writhing slightly on the plushness of the bed. “I haven’t slept on a bed this soft since I left Skyhold. This may even be better than the bed at Skyhold.” 

Solas watched her for a moment as she wiggled on the bed in a most enticing way. “Indeed, this is more luxury than I am certainly used to,” he said as he moved to take off his pack and staff, leaning them against a wardrobe in the corner of the room. “This is one of the larger estates in Hightown with enough room to house the Chargers if need be.” He walked over to the canopy bed and looked down at her inviting visage, a small smirk tugging at his lips.

She stretched and settled back with a sigh, looking at him as he watched her. “Well? Come on. You have to try it out,” she said, and patted the bed next to her. She giggled. “Dorian is going to have to pry me out of this bed. That or you have to help me figure out how to sneak it back to Skyhold when we’re done here in Kirkwall.”

Solas chuckled, “I think he will notice us trying to slip a bed out the door.” He pressed his lips together and moved to sit on the bed, sparing a look at the curtains drawn back on all four posts. He didn’t know how to tell her that he would not be returning to Skyhold after this was all over. “I still have much work to do.”

She pushed herself up on her elbows to look at him better. “I know,” she said softly. She knew he intended to leave again once they were done dealing with the Draak. Yet somehow it made her heart sink to think of returning to Skyhold without him. She didn’t want to think about that. “Sorry,” she muttered and looked away from him, tracing her finger over the embroidered pattern on the thick quilt. “I was only joking. I know you have better things to do than to come back to Skyhold. I didn’t mean anything by it.” She gave a short, mirthless laugh. “It wasn’t, you know, an attempt to make some sort of future plans with you.”

He considered her for a moment before he moved onto the bed more fully, reclining against the pillows at the headboard. He reached out and tugged her into his arms. “It will bring me no joy to continue on alone, but such is my fate. I would enjoy the time we have together as much as we can,” he said as he pressed a kiss to her forehead before he tucked it under his chin and looked out over the room, content to just hold her for the moment. 

Her eyes fluttered shut at his kiss and she nodded as she slid her arms around him. “Where will you be going?” she asked softly, though some part of her knew he probably wouldn’t say. He hadn’t said where he had been these past years; it was unlikely he’d share with her where he was going next. “Do you have to go it alone?”

“Yes, it is not a burden I would wish upon my worst enemy,” he said automatically, “It is my own doing, my own fault. As much as it would ease my soul to carry on with a companion, I cannot. I would have few allies in the matter.” He swallowed and looked down at her, “Even you.” He shook his head the next moment and rolled her until she was straddling his waist and he peered up at her. “But enough talk about that. We are supposed to be living in the moment, are we not?”

She gave a soft sigh, but nodded as she cupped his cheek. “You’re right,” she said, brushing her thumb over his high cheekbone. She leaned down to press her lips against his, savoring the feel of his lips against her own. She let her fingers trail up the line of his jaw, up to trace the long point of his ear. A smirk made her break the kiss with him when she felt him shiver. “Sensitive?” she teased.

He couldn’t stop himself, his ears had always been sensitive and the way her fingers felt trailing up to the tip sent a wave of heat straight down into his groin and he bucked up against her, grinding into her. “Mmm, yes, it would appear so. They are not just for show, Inquisitor, and mine are larger than most,” he said in a teasing tone.

“Yes, I’m aware,” she answered in a sultry voice, wagging her eyebrows at him. A soft moan escaped her as she felt him press up against her and she rocked her hips against his. She leaned farther over him to kiss at the side of his neck, nibbling on his earlobe. “I’ve always wanted to play with your ears,” she breathed hotly, “Though I never quite thought of it like this.” She trailed her tongue up the shell of his ear, ever so lightly biting the tip.

Solas growled low in his throat as he lifted his hands to grab at her hips and hold her down as he thrust his hardness up against her, moaning at the feeling of her warm weight on top of him. “Have you now? I’m fascinated to find out that you have some curiosity on the matter and I would be more than willing to hear your thoughts on my ears.” 

She felt a slight blush touch her face and she was glad that he couldn’t look directly at her in that moment. “I think they’re sexy,” she breathed. She paused for a moment, panting as he held her hips in such a firm grip, thrusting up against her center. She licked at his ear again, then moved to pay the other the same attention. She pulled back and rested her forehead against his. “I don’t know what else to say,” she admitted with a little giggle. “What do you want me to say?”

He shivered beneath her, grinning despite himself. A human that found his pointed ears sexy. That was a new one. It was a far cry better than the derogatory names for them, his people. She was a remarkable woman. His hands went to the laces on her breeches and swiftly undid them, sliding his hands down the back of them to cup her bottom, pressing her firmly down into himself. “That is far more acceptable than I have ever heard,” he breathed. 

She lifted herself up and kicked away her breeches, then straddled his thighs to unlace his. She paused and gave him a rather ornery smirk as she looked at his hard length, trapped beneath the fabric, and she firmly ran her fingers over it, tracing it through his breeches. She could feel the heat of him through the fabric and she pushed his shirt up, leaning over to lick at his abs as she ran her palm over his cock.

He hissed through his teeth as her warm hands ran over his trapped length. “Now who is being the tease?” he questioned before he bucked up into her palm, moaning loudly as she licked and nibbled at his skin. “Evie,” he purred. “Please, I need to be inside you. You are driving me out of my mind,” he said as he tugged her up to him, sealing his lips over hers in a wild kiss. 

She shivered at his words and kissed him back, tangling her tongue with his, her hands roaming over him. She finally pulled the laces free and pushed his pants down over his hips. Her hand curled around his length, stroking him slowly for a moment before she raised up and lowered herself down on him, gasping out as he filled her. She grabbed at her top and stripped it away hurriedly, baring herself to him. “So good, Solas,” she breathed as she rocked her hips, moaning as he shifted inside her.

She grabbed at his shoulders, pulling him to sit up so she could help him out of his shirt. The change in position felt incredible and she stopped him before he could lay back down. “Can… can we do it like this? Just for a moment… please?” she breathed out, rocking her hips in his lap as his cock pressed up against a sensitive spot deep within her that made her see stars. “U-Unless you don’t like it,” she stammered uncertainly. “It’s whatever you want.”

He chuckled and pulled her down on him firmly as he moved back so he could sit up against the headboard. She was so hot and tight around him, it felt as if he was pressed so deeply inside of her. He lifted her hips off of him before he let her down, thrusting up into her at the same time. His eyes nearly rolled back in his head from the pleasure and he smiled up at her as he leaned forward, taking a pert nipple into his mouth. “This is acceptable.” 

She gasped again as he teased her breast with his mouth, and she moved to slip her legs around his waist. “Oh Maker,” she breathed and licked at the lip of his ear, letting her teeth graze over it as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. There was something incredibly intimate to her about the position, joined so tightly together, holding each other in an embrace. “I love what you do to me,” she whispered in his ear. “I love the way you make me feel.”

He hissed out at the feeling of her teeth on his ear, he could feel the appendage twitching slightly under her attentions. “Ara ma’athlan vhenas,” he breathed against her, nuzzling into her neck as he rocked into her, feeling his body straining, pushing towards her and his completion. He moved his head, letting his lips seal around the curve of her neck, sucking gently. She was so sweet against his tongue, it made his heart ache and he wished. He wished it was true. He could see himself making a home in this woman.

Evie didn’t know what his words meant, yet they warmed her heart anyway. She tilted her head, giving him better access to her neck. She moaned as she gyrated her hips in his lap, losing herself in the pleasure. She didn’t want it to end. She wanted to hold on to every single moment with him that she could. “Solas,” she gasped, “I’m so close.”

He lifted his head, capturing her lips again, breathing against her, his lips passing over hers like a whisper, “Then come for me, ma vhenan.” He startled himself. How quickly the endearment slipped out, but it was no less true even in the moment of passion. His heart was aching at the thought of leaving this woman again. At how he would have to hurt her before their time was over. He pushed those thoughts from his head as he increased his pace, thrusting up into her sweet embrace, his own release close.

That did it. Whatever the hell he’d said, the way he said it drove her over the edge and she clung to him, crying out as her orgasm hit her. She tensed in his lap, hot jolts of sheer bliss overwhelming her senses. Tears prickled her eyes at the pleasure, both physical and emotional. She relaxed slightly, pressing a kiss to his collarbone, and whispered, “Thank you.” She moved her knees under her so she could lift herself up a bit more to bounce in his lap, trying to pleasure him as much as he had done for her. 

Solas couldn’t bite back his own cry of pleasure as her body clamped down tightly on his own. Like a velvet vice upon his tortured flesh. He threw his head back as he came, his cock jerking inside of her as he spilled himself within her depths, a strand of elvish came out of his mouth, but he couldn’t make heads or tails of what he was saying. It was just so so good. He was certain he would never return to his body as he fell into a blissful state of completion and he finally melted back into the bed. It took some effort on his part to pry open his eyes so he could stare up at the vision of beauty on top of him.

Evelyn wiped at the tears that threatened to fall and gave him a watery laugh. “There are no words,” she breathed as she leaned over him, bracing her hands on either side of his head. She dipped her head to press a soft, affectionate kiss to his lips, but had to pull away and wipe at her eyes again. “Sorry,” she whispered. “You just… you amaze me. That was incredible.” She smiled and leaned her forehead against his again, then lifted herself slowly off of him and moved to lay at his side. “I didn’t know it could be like this,” she said softly.

He curled up against her, drawing her into his arms before he moved to draw the covers up around them both. “What do you mean?” he asked, his brows drawing together in confusion, “Is this not how it is supposed to be? Two people sharing a moment, giving and receiving in turn with mutual passion between us?”

She gave a little shrug. “In theory,” she answered. “I just, well, didn’t expect you to care so much about my pleasure. I’ve never felt a connection during sex like this before.” She chewed her lip, wondering if she was making herself too vulnerable or if she was reading more into it than she should have. She decided to try to play it off. “You’re really spoiling me,” she said with a slight laugh, “You keep this up, and I’ll expect sex to always be like this.”

He tilted his head at her, not quite believing her words. “Sex should be like this. Well, I imagine that is up for debate. Love making should be like this. Sex is different. Disconnected.” He lifted a hand to cup her cheek, “Who has taught you otherwise? The same person from before? When we were discussing the topic this morning?”

Evelyn felt as if she’d just had an epiphany. She blinked and came back to herself a moment later. “Uh, yeah. He, ah, never really cared about making sure I was satisfied. I mean, if it happened, then great, but he didn’t try. Not like you. You… make me feel like you care,” she admitted and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear before she looked at him. “I guess I’ve never really been made love to before. I guess it was always just sex, when you put it that way.”

She huffed and tore her eyes from his, letting her fingertips play over his chest for a moment. “He was an asshole,” she muttered. “He was…” she trailed off and sighed, resting her head more on his shoulder. “It was a long time ago. Doesn’t matter now.”

He let his own fingers trail over her back, tracing little patterns as he went. “It does matter. You matter. You are more than just an object. A symbol. You are more than just the Herald, the Inquisitor. Deep down, you are a person like anyone else. Why should your past experiences matter less than the next person? I have two very shapely ears if you wish to talk about it.”

She sighed heavily and tucked her face against him. “Don’t tell me that, Solas,” she said softly. She was so used to being the Inquisitor now, being seen as exactly that - a symbol and not a person. She’d nearly given up on her own wants and desires. “I was young and stupid,” she muttered. “I thought I was in love. He was handsome, charming, told me he loved me. And I believed him. He used to promise me things; he was so good at it, I felt like I was living a fairytale. We were going to get married. It was a big deal. But it was all a lie.” 

“You think Josephine put on a big deal for Cassandra and Varric? That was nothing compared to what I planned,” she said and let her arm fall across his waist. “I had  _ everything _ planned out. The big wedding, down to the smallest detail. But more than that, I had our lives planned out. How happy we were going to be, how many children we would have. My entire future hinged on him and my ideas of how our lives were going to be.” She paused and a frown crossed her lips. “Until I found out what his true intentions were. I overheard him one day, he didn’t know I was within earshot. Heard him going on and on about how this marriage would benefit him and his family. Titles, land, money. And I heard him brag about how he had outsmarted me, tricked me into believing him, believing that he loved me. It had been his plan all along. Everything was a lie from the very beginning.”

Solas pulled her against him tightly, lifting her chin so he could look into her eyes. If possible, he felt even worse now. His heart was near bursting with the desire to break down and tell her the truth, but she would hate him for it, he was certain. He was utterly sick of living in a lie. That his folly had caused him to do so. “A lie told like that, deceiving you so that you would be hurt. That you were being hurt for no reason greater than that man’s own greed. It is unacceptable,” he said, a hint of sadness laying underneath his words. He swallowed harshly and closed his eyes tightly. “You would do well to distance yourself from those kinds of people.” Like himself.

She nodded. “I do. I don’t befriend liar and betrayers. And I certainly don’t take a romantic interest in them anymore,” she said. “I was so heartbroken. All my dreams, all my plans, just… shattered. I was so angry, so hurt. Humiliated. The invitations had already gone out. So many nobles were to attend. I didn’t know what to do.” A wicked little smile played across her lips as she recalled what she’d done. “You’ll like this part, though. I went through with it. Well, mostly. I didn’t tell him I knew. I didn’t tell anyone. The wedding day came and it was beautiful. And when we got to the part of the ceremony where we say ‘I do’? I told him off, right there in front of a cathedral full of guests. Called him out on his lie.” She snickered at the memory. “You should’ve seen his face, like he wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole. And then I sent everyone home and locked myself in my rooms and ate cake for the next week.”

Solas wasn’t entirely sure what he should feel. In part, hearing her one-up the man who had betrayed her appealed to his rebel nature. On the other, it was as if she had stabbed a knife in his back with each word she said. Granted, he gave her the knife to start with. He hugged her tightly a moment before he sat up, untangling himself from her. He stared down at his hands, torn between what he should do and what must be done. He swallowed harshly and closed his eyes.

Evelyn sat up, confused. “Solas?” she asked, laying a hand on his bare back, rubbing gently at the muscles there. “I’m sorry I told you that story. It was a long time ago. I haven’t really been too involved with anyone since then. I’ll try not to bring it up again. I know you’re not him. You wouldn’t hurt me like that. And, well, it’s not like we’re planning some big future together. We both know I have to go back to Skyhold and you have to… go do whatever it is you need to do.” The words tasted horrible in her mouth and made her heart scream in protest. Here he was, quite possibly the best thing she’d ever had in her life, and she knew that they couldn’t be. “Come on, let’s not let that dick ruin our night. I don’t want to think about him. I want to enjoy what we have while we can.”

Every word was like a knife, digging into his soul. He was all of the things she hated an more. And yet... he was selfish. He knew that after her, after this was over, there would be no one else in his life. No one would want the betrayer. Not his own people, not the shemlen. No one. He opened his eyes and looked at her with tears unshed. He wanted her. He wanted to drown in her body and never recover. He didn’t want the burden he had placed upon himself. But he had swallowed that bitter pill and now he was paying for it. No one else should have to pay for his mistake. He managed a smile for her, “It is nothing the story caused. It just... reminded me of a younger person. One that is long gone from this world.”

She tipped her head sympathetically. “Someone you knew?” she asked softly, “Someone you cared about?” She knew very little about Solas’s past, but she couldn’t imagine him always being alone. Surely there had been someone there for him at some point in his life. She reached out and carefully wiped the tears from his eyes with her thumb. It bothered her to see him so upset, whatever the reason may be. And she found herself wanting to soothe that pain, to be there with him. The thought of him always being alone made her heart ache.

“You could say that. It…” He paused and leaned into her touch. Her fingers were cool against his fevered skin. “It was myself, from long ago. But I have done everything in my power to distance myself from that person. I am nothing like I was when I was younger. Nothing. I swear it to you,” he said as he turned to look at her fiercely, “Know that I would never do anything to hurt you or bring you harm. I would never use you to further my own goals.” It wasn’t technically a lie. He hadn’t used her to try and retrieve his orb. He used the Inquisition. 

“I know that, Solas,” she said softly. “I trust you.” She pulled him closer to softly kiss his lips again, relishing in the moment. She would savor every moment she had with him, commit it all to memory. She never wanted to forget this. “Let’s not talk about the past anymore. What’s done is done. There’s no sense in dwelling on it. I’d rather focus on what we have here, now. This is what matters, not what we’ve done when we were young and stupid.”

She laid back and tugged at him to lay with her. She rested her chin on his shoulder and smiled at him. “What were those words you said earlier? What did they mean? Aira mah…” she faltered. “I can’t say it,” she said with a little giggle. “Sorry. Not trying to butcher your language.”

He laughed at that, pure and genuine, “Ara ma’athlan vhenas.” He smiled and turned his face into her skin, breathing in the sweetness that seemed to permeate her being. All those tiny cakes, he assumed. “The roughest translation I can think of for the common tongue would be, 'you are my home.' More or less. And ma vhenan… My heart,” he said solemnly before he looked up at her, locking her eyes with his, “I meant every word.” 

Evelyn felt her breath catch as her heart melted. It was as if she couldn’t even wrap her mind around it, how quickly and easily they had come to this. She knew it was a bad idea, that when they had to part ways that it would only hurt more, but damn it all, she wanted this. Wanted to be happy for just a little while. She reached to cup his cheek in her hand again. “Ma vhenan,” she repeated back softly to him as a smile pulled at her lips.

He felt a warmth wrap around his own heart at her words. Perfect and confident. They didn’t falter. He smiled at her, leaning into her hand. He could live with this. Live with her knowing just this. The simple truth. That he... well, he couldn’t say that. But he could live well, knowing that she understood and cherished the words he spoke to her. She did them justice when he didn’t deserve any at all. He leaned over, kissing her soundly before he laid back and pulled her into his arms. He had meant it, when he had said that he never meant to hurt her. He had never meant to hurt anyone. He had planned to rid the world of one more power crazy Magister, but it had blown up in his face. Quite literally.

She curled against him, draping one of her legs over his as she snuggled under the blankets. She yawned deeply as she wrapped her arm around his middle. “You know, I’m not entirely sure what I believe in,” she murmured sleepily. “But if heaven exists, I think it must be this.”


	9. Chapter 9

Evelyn wasn’t quite sure why she was so nervous and worried to go out that morning. She hadn’t been scared to go and face Corypheus, yet here she was fretting over filling a cave with water. Although, back when she’d fought the magister darkspawn, she hadn’t been so emotionally invested in anyone like she now was with Solas. 

A week together in Dorian’s estate had only contributed to furthering their relationship. They spent long hours lying in bed together, talking or making love, taking long baths together, or walking around the city simply holding hands. It was as if she couldn’t get enough of him. And every day that passed was just another day closer to having to say goodbye to him. 

He’d promised to stay for a few more days after the flooding of the mine, just to make sure that the problem had been dealt with, before he would depart. Though she was the only one who knew for certain that he was leaving. 

She watched him as he dressed, preparing to head out that morning with the others. They had no way of knowing how long this would take, how much water would be needed to fill the mines. But they did know that Solas and Dorian were going to be worn out, even with the lyrium potions that had arrived, because they were doing the heaviest amount of work.

She twirled her bow in her fingers as she sat on the bed. It would be her job to help keep Dorian and Solas safe while they worked. “Please be careful out there today,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something happened to you.”

Solas slipped his staff onto his back before he turned to look at her. He could see the worry in her eyes, the pain there. It hurt him deeply to know that he would only be adding to it when he left to continue his work for the People. “Evie,” he said as he walked over to her, playing his hand over the fingers that twirled her bow, bringing it to a stop. “I know that I have nothing to fear with you watching my back. Ma vhenan,” he breathed as he tugged her up. He had gotten in too deep, he had been selfish, but he would do the entire week over again just as it had happened. 

She slid her hand into his and walked beside him. “Still, you know if something can go wrong, it will. It always does with us,” she said. Part of her screamed to just drag him back to the bedroom to hide, like if they didn’t do this, she could somehow keep him there with her longer. She cleared her throat and squared her shoulders, determined to not be gloomy as they worked that day. “I mean, of course you don’t. Anything or anyone tries to hurt you or any of our friends, and they’ll have me to deal with,” she said, sounding cockier than she felt. She shot him a haughty look out of the corner of her eye, but ruined it by snickering.

He chuckled, “I will alert the world then. No one should mess with the dread Inquisitor.”

“Isn’t that my line?” Dorian asked as he heard the end tail of their conversation as he stood with Bull in the foyer. He flexed his hand around his staff, trying to not fidget. He wouldn’t say he was afraid. No, he would deny it with his last breath. But the sheer thought of being out there, near the Bone Pit, while he worked himself to a point of exhaustion trying to flood the cursed mine of all those creatures. He pressed his lips thin, trying his best to not think of how vulnerable he would be if one of them decided to come up from the ground and drag him back down to finish what they had started. 

“Well look who finally decided to come out of the bedroom,” Sera deadpanned and got to her feet. “Let’s go kill some of these fuckers, yeah?”

Bull didn’t pay any attention to Sera as she tried to bug the Inquisitor and Solas. “I sent the Chargers on ahead. They’ll be ready around the entrances we weren’t able to seal in case any of those things decide to make a run for it. Cassandra and Varric should meet us there with the lyrium.” He opened the front door and ushered Dorian through it. He’d promised to stay by his side through the whole thing, to keep him safe while he worked. He knew how anxious Dorian was about today.

Solas nodded as he followed them. “Good work. With luck, we should be able to deal with this problem before more innocents are harmed.” He could see the state of distress his fellow mage was in, but said nothing. He would not falter in this task and after what he had been through at the hands of these creatures, he had to commend the man for even accepting to help them finish this off. He reached beside him and threaded his fingers with Evie’s. He was selfish, but he wanted to enjoy what time he could with this woman. It was but a breath before he had to submerge himself in solitude again.

The walk to the river went by faster than Evelyn had anticipated. The water had risen after all the recent rain and she hoped that would work to their benefit. They found Varric and Cassandra near the entrance they’d marked that they intended to flood. 

“There they are,” Cassandra said, her sword already drawn. She reached over and squeezed Varric’s shoulder. They were both eager to be done with this and put the memory of the mines far behind them. “We have not seen any activity from this entrance, yet this morning, but we are staying nearby to help make sure that none of the Draak will try to attack you.”

Varric had his crossbow drawn and ready to fire. He nodded to the crates of lyrium that they had brought out with them. “Hopefully that will be enough to get you both through the day. Maker knows I’m ready to be done with this shit,” he muttered as he leaned over and picked the lid off of one of the boxes to reveal the glass vials nestled in the straw packaging.

Dorian leaned over and picked up six, putting five away in his belt while he popped the cork off of one and knocked it back like a shot. He could feel it surge through him like wildfire, waking up his senses, branching out into the veil. “Ah! Now that’s more like it,” he said with a smile as he looked over the entrance of the cave and the river, “Right then, going to need to build up a new pathway for the water to flow right into the mouth there.”

Solas helped himself to the lyrium as well, drinking down a bottle like Dorian had. He then moved to observe what he was talking about. “If you move the stones to build up the sides, I will start on digging a trench for the water to flow down. Might I suggest we start at the mouth of the cave and work backwards towards the river. That way not a drop of water is wasted.”

Evelyn had her bow ready, the string pulled slightly taut, ready to attack anything that came their way. She stood back, watching the mouth of the cave as Solas began to work, his magic carving out a deep trench in the earth. She could hear rocks clattering over each other as Dorian directed them, building up a sort of dam to direct the water. 

She felt her anxiety fading a bit as they worked, mostly from just standing there doing nothing. The river was deeper than she’d realized and the cave further from the river than she remembered. She could see the sweat on their foreheads already and knew that their work was nowhere near done. They would still have to control the flow of the water, even with these measures to help direct it. 

Bull watched Dorian with a careful eye. “Easy, Kadan,” he warned in a low voice. “Take your time. Don’t want to rush and mess something up. And you don’t want to exhaust yourself too soon. Those slimy bastards aren’t going anywhere. Except maybe straight to Hell.”

Dorian settled down a large couple of rocks into their new places and paused a moment to wipe his forehead with the back of his hand. He lifted the water skin hanging on his belt and took a long drink before he downed another lyrium potion. It did little to stave off the exhaustion of his limbs but renewed his magic so he could continue. “I feel much better knowing that you have my back, Amatus,” he said as he concentrated again, moving more stones. “If they dare show their faces...” He shook his head, fighting back a shudder as he worked.

“I don’t think they will,” Bull said, glancing up at the sky, but shielding his face with his hand. “It’s awfully damn bright out here today. Let’s hope our theory is right, that they can’t survive long in the sunlight. Even that one that grabbed Evie the other day didn’t come out in the light; she just got too close to the cave.” He gave a deep chuckle, “Any of them that come up will be easy pickin’s.”

Evie was equally concerned about Solas. If he or Dorian gave out while directing the water, the whole plan could end up wasted. And even worse, they could be vulnerable to attack. She wanted to tell him not to push himself, but was afraid of breaking his concentration. Even Sera was quiet, which surprised her. Her anxiety returned full force when Solas finally stopped, just a mere couple feet from the water’s edge. It seemed they were ready to really begin and she tightened her grip on her bow once more.

Solas looked at Dorian and they both nodded, taking a small break before they opened up the section of the river to the new path they had just created. The sun was high in the sky and beating down on them. He knelt to the ground, taking a long pull from his water skin. “Once the water starts flowing into the caves, it will most likely attract attention. Be ready for anything,” he warned the others. 

Dorian groaned as he stretched, his back popping from the effort. “I’m entirely sure we didn’t bring enough lyrium for this. I need a rejuvenation potion or something,” he muttered as he walked over to stand with Solas at the river’s edge. “Shall we?” he asked and at Solas’ nod, they both worked together to break down the edge of the river, watching as it broke into the new path, surging with a force behind it into the mouth of the cave. The Tevinter mage watch their path carefully, making sure no rocks fell or broke away.

For several minutes, all Evelyn could hear was the rushing of the water as it poured into the cave, churning and swirling as it went. But then a new sound met her ears and made her blood run cold. It was a panicked, desperate sound of clawing from beneath her feet. She could hear hissing, growling, and then… screaming. She spun around, looking for the source of the sounds, but it seemed to come from all around them. How many entrances were there to this place? How many had they not discovered, that the Draak could be scrambling towards at that very moment. But the screaming. The screaming sounded too human. “Are we drowning people down there?!” she suddenly cried, the thought horrifying to her.

Dorian looked at the cave, horror and disgust on his face, but he held onto his staff tightly as he expected the Draak to emerge from the ground at any moment. “Most likely, but any humans down there are already too far gone.”

Solas nodded. “Or they would be by the time we tried to make a rescue team and venture down there to get them.” It was unnerving how loud the screaming became, a hint of the inhuman nature of it was behind it all, sounding more like the screech of a demon than anything else.

“Ugh, make it stop!” Sera growled, giving her head an irritated shake. “That’s not right! I’ll never get that sound out of my head!” She turned slowly in a circle, keeping a full perimeter in her vision. She paused when she looked across the river again at the tall bluff on the otherside. There was movement among the trees at the top, near-human-like figures watching them from the safety of the shade. “Bastards,” she growled and aimed, loosing her arrow. Her mouth twitched upwards the next moment as it hit the mark and the Draak tumbled forward, head over feet into the river below.

Evelyn turned just in time to see the creature fall. She could see a crevice in the bluff wall about halfway up, with Draak squeezing through it in an attempt to escape. She drew her bow and shot at them, not wanting to let any more escape than was necessary. She didn’t know where they would go once their home was destroyed, but she wanted to make sure they didn’t get far. Her heart sank when she saw many of the ones able to fit through the fissure in the rock; they were tiny, the size of children. “Forgive me,” she prayed and loosed another arrow.

“Shit,” Varric growled as he raised Bianca and fired at the monsters. Had that been what they wanted to turn his son into? How many stolen children where there? It made his stomach churn at the thought. He dared glance to the side, seeing the horror in his wife’s eyes. “Remember, they’ve been tortured. We’re just… bringing it to an end.”

Cassandra went somewhere else in her head, recalling her training from so long ago to push down her emotions, to lock them away so she could concentrate. Because if she didn’t, she thought she would cry. Some of the Draak were no bigger than her own son. She stood with her sword and shield ready, watching as the archers felled the escaping creatures. She briefly thought of the Chargers and Blackwall, how they were doing and if any of the Draak had attacked them yet.

She didn’t have long to think about it, however. The Draak on the other side of the river watched them with keen eyes from the depth of the shade trees. She could hear them hissing and growling, communicating to each other with clicks and snarls. The blood ran cold in her veins as some of them began to crawl down the cliff, heading towards the river. Her eyes traveled the path she instantly knew they intended to take. 

The wall of stone Dorian had created worked exactly as intended. As a dam. Which meant the other side of that wall was quickly devoid of water, leaving a clear path over the wet, slick riverstones. And though they hissed as the sun hit their slimy, stone-colored skin, the Draak were making a beeline for the mages.

“Be ready!” Cassandra shouted to the others. “They are heading this way!”

Evelyn and Sera turned their attention to the riverbed, loosing arrow after arrow at the Draak. Yet they continued forward, many of the arrows just glancing off of their scaly, dragon-like hide. 

Cassandra cast a worried glance back at Dorian as he and Solas continued to channel the water into the mine. She couldn’t allow these things to get too close to her friend, he was already struggling with what had happened to him as it was. If he panicked, if they got hold of him, Solas would be left to control the river on his own and she wasn’t certain if he could do that or not.

She had no choice. She ran out to meet the Draak head-on with her sword, aiming for the most obvious weak point on their bodies - the neck. She didn’t worry about the archers still on the bank; she knew all three of them were far too skilled to hit her on accident. She hadn’t expected there to be this many come crawling up from underground. If this many had escaped, how many had their number originally been? She knew there had to be thousands drowning beneath the surface now. 

Varric growled low in his throat as he watched Cassandra run out head first into the oncoming Draak. Their numbers were… immense. And now they were flushing them out to the surface with the afternoon already upon them. All the Draak had to do was make it until nightfall and then their little group would be as good as dead. He fired off a barrage of arrows at some of the monsters trying to attack his wife from behind. “Be careful out there, Seeker!” 

Dorian could feel a cold sweat trickling down his temples as he had his hands raised, glowing with the bluish green magic that intertwined with Solas’s. The movements were almost like a dance as they redirected the water and it took much of his focus. Much of his magic as well. The impending threat of the creatures swarming up from the ground were not helping matters at all. The sounds that they emitted made those horrible memories of his time down in the mines all too vivid and he clenched his eyes shut as he tried to regain his composure. He had to keep going, he wasn’t going to leave this all to Solas. With a frustrated cry, he surged his magic and pushed the water faster.

Bull growled low in his throat as he watched the fight, and his hands tightened around the hilt of his axe. He wanted to go fight beside Cassandra, to hack and slash his way through that horde and make them pay for what they’d done. To Dorian. To Krem. To Grim. But he couldn’t leave Dorian’s side. He’d promised he wouldn’t. He moved to stand protectively between the Draak and Dorian, ready to strike if they got past the others. “I’ve got this!” he called over the roaring sound of the water. “You two stay focused! They won’t get past me.”

Solas grit his teeth as he focused, it would be all too easy to dip into the power he had absorbed from Mythal. Her essence would be more than enough to ensure their safety and the destruction of the creatures, but he restrained himself. He needed that power for the People, so he had to endure on his own merit. His fingers curled in the air against the strain of the magic and the sheer force of the water. He had to brace his feet more carefully on the ground upon which they stood, “Easy, Dorian! Just a bit more!” 

“Hah! As if I’m about to give in!” he answered back, but grit his teeth the next moment as his focused wavered. “Less talking, more finger waving,” he bit out. He would love to pause and take another lyrium potion, but this was crucial, if either of them let up now, the water would be an uncontrolled monster and they could end up swept away, right down into the pits. He shuddered at the thought.

Cassandra fought with every ounce of strength she had, but their numbers were too great for one person. Even with the archers backing her up, the Draak were getting past her. In fact, many seemed to ignore her, their focus on getting to the mages flooding their home. She swung her sword again with such force that it easily lopped off the head of one of the Draak, but the next second another one crashed into her, knocking her to the ground. She cried out as she fell, trying to get to her feet, but they kept coming, trampling over her in their determination to get to Solas and Dorian. She couldn’t reach the sword that had been knocked from her hand, she felt the air being pressed from her lungs as they stepped on her. “No!” she heaved, but the best she managed to do was to pull her shield up over her head to protect herself as she prayed they didn’t crush her to death.

“CASSANDRA!” Varric’s heart stopped beating, he was certain of it. As soon as he saw her hit the ground, he concentrated his bolts over in her direction, trying to clear a path so she could get up and get her sword. “Get up, dammit! GET UP!” he yelled over the span between them, gritting his teeth as he launched volley after volley of arrows at the Draak rushing past her, over her. Anything to stop them. “Shit! There are too many!”

“Clear me a path!” Sera shouted and ran forward, shooting down as many as she could that came directly at her. She was tinier, faster than Varric. She could get through that swarm easier than he could. She didn’t even flinch as the bolts from his crossbow and the arrows from Evelyn’s bow shot past her. She skidded to a stop on her knees next to the Seeker and fired a shot straight up into the chin of the next Draak that tried to step on her. “Get up, Cassandra!” she cried and grabbed the other woman by her arm, dragging her to her feet.

Cassandra felt like she’d been crushed, the air knocked from her lungs as she let herself lean on Sera. “Thank you,” she gasped out and forced her legs to move, running in the same direction as the Draak, which were now ignoring their presence entirely. Moving at an angle, they were able to step out of the shade created by the rock wall and out of the throng of Draak. She could feel the blood trickling down her forehead, could taste it in her mouth. She squinted up at the bank, seeing the Inquisitor and Varric. “What do we do now?”

“We have to hold them off!” Evelyn shouted, her arm burning in protest as she fired her arrows faster than she ever had before. They were dropping many of them, but there were still too many advancing towards her and Varric, and the mages behind them. “If they get past us, this whole plan will be wasted! We can’t let them get to Solas and Dorian!” She cursed herself for not trying to recruit more mages to help them. She could’ve called in Vivienne or any of the other mages they’d allied with back at Skyhold. She just hadn’t counted on so many making it to the surface. 

“Shit! Just how many are there?!” Varric asked as he fired bolt after bolt. After so many hours of doing nothing, this was ridiculous. He thought for a moment that they should have just blown up the Bone Pit, but he knew after what Blondie had done, Kirkwall would have never recovered. Of course, that wouldn’t matter if they didn’t figure this mess out. “I don’t think we thought this through well enough! We planned for one or two groups making it to the surface. This is an entire army!”

Bull growled as the Draak came closer. “That’s right. Come to me,” he snarled before he heaved the heavy weapon over his shoulder, bringing it clean down to split the skull of the first one that approached him. He barely had time to relish in it though as another attacked him. He spun on his heel, whirling the big axe through the air to lop off its head, which went spinning through the air. The setting sun was casting long shadows, giving the Draak a more direct path towards him. “We’re running out of time!” he called over his shoulder as he took on three at once. “Much more of this and they’re going to overwhelm us!”

Dorian nearly faltered, he could feel blood running down from his nose from the strain of the continued magic. “We’re running out of magic, but if one of us stops now, the other is dead! We’ll have to break away and run for it at the same time!” he yelled over his shoulder at Bull.

Solas grit his teeth. “We cannot give up! Just a bit more! Hang in there Dorian. We have to… ngh…. we have to finish this!” He didn’t know how much of the mines they had flooded. Not nearly enough from what he had heard Varric tell of them. What options were left for them? Abandon it half finished? The water might drain out of the mines and they would be back to square one. Though if they stayed there, they were as good as dead. He could hear the Draak coming for them.

Evelyn turned her attention to the Draak that had gotten past them instead of the few that were still coming towards them. But the sun was in her eyes, she couldn’t get a good shot without risking hitting one of their own. She kept a clear distance as she ran towards Bull and the others, firing shots when she could. Luckily they were still mostly in the sun and the Draak didn’t want to seem to get too close to them just yet. They hissed and screamed if the sunlight touched their skin and retreated back into the shadows. “I don’t know how much light we have left!” she shouted as she finally reached a better vantage point, closer to the mages and fired shots at the Draak. “We still need time to make it back into the city. They’re going to be crawling all over this place by nightfall!”

Dorian’s eyesight was faltering as he concentrated on the water. “Should have gotten another mage. Could have… could have maintained a light spell or something,” he breathed out as he wavered on his feet again, “Solas! I’m not going to last for much longer!” he called out a warning to his fellow mage.

“Just a bit more! Bull and the Inquisitor are right behind us, if we lose control now, we can’t stop them from being swept away!” Solas said, though even his own reserves were starting to run dry. 

Bull didn’t like the way this was going, even as Sera and Varric rejoined the fight. They were losing the light too quickly. He roared as one jumped on his back and he reached behind him, grabbing it by its wing and flung it away. “We have to go!” he shouted. He wasn’t one to run from a fight, but he was smart enough to know when they were in over their heads. “If we stay any longer, we’re all going to die at their hands! More of them will come for us! We’ve dealt them a significant blow. We should regroup and figure out our next move!”

“Cassandra’s hurt!” Sera shouted. “We have to get back and get her healed up! We’re not going to have time if we don’t leave right now!” Couldn’t they see the urgency to get out of there while they still had time? She for one was in no mood to die that day or worse, get turned into one of those things. “NOW!”

“Go!” Evelyn shouted at her. “You and Varric take Cassandra and go! Get out of here while you can! We’ll be right behind you!” She didn’t know how much more she had in her, her shoulder screaming in protest with every pull of the bowstring. 

Solas grit his teeth. “Get out of here! I’ll hold the water at bay until you are all safe!” he shouted, looking over his shoulder at Dorian, “They are right! If we do not leave now, we will not make it back to Kirkwall in time before sundown! We must hurry!”

Dorian bit his lip so hard he tasted blood. “I’m not leaving you to face this on your own! If I leave before you, the waters will sweep you away! I will not suffer the blood of my friends on my hands!” he shouted back.

Bull glanced over his shoulder at the mages. Solas seemed to be holding it together better than Dorian. “Dorian! Solas knows what he’s doing! We have to move!” he shouted jumping back out of the reach of a Draak that took a vicious swipe at him with a clawed hand. He reached back and grabbed Dorian’s arm. “Time to go.”

Evelyn felt her blood run cold and she looked over at Solas. “I’m not leaving you behind!” she protested. The thought of leaving him to fend for himself made her absolutely heartsick. What if he didn’t make it away in time? She would never forgive herself. She couldn’t lose him. Not now. 

The force of the water was greater than he imagined. As Bull tore Dorian away, the mage’s influence on the water was evident and he was nearly knocked over by it as suddenly the entirety of it was left in his hands. He grit his teeth as he exerted the last of his power to hold off the flow long enough to give them all time to run away. “EVIE! GET BACK! I cannot hold it off much longer!”

Evelyn squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, warring with herself before she ran after Bull and Dorian. She felt wretched in that moment. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t leave him there to die. She skidded to a stop and looked around, spying a large outcrop of rock and hauled herself up on it where she could still see Solas, fighting to control the water as the sun continued to sink lower in the sky. She thought she’d never seen the sun set so quickly in her life. She drew her bow again, taking aim at the Draak that were slowly creeping closer to Solas as the shadows became longer and longer. “Get out of there,” she breathed. “Ma vhenan, get out of there.”

Solas cried out as he felt his magic waning. A gush of water burst past him, knocking him forward and it was then he lost all control. His magic gave out, completely drained dry and the wall of water he and Dorian had been working to control fell upon him. He only had a brief moment to realize that the water would carry him into the mouth of the cave that led into the Bone Pit. He quickly fought for strength, trying to turn over and grab onto anything he could use to haul himself out of the water. The rough path threw him around and a sharp pain lanced through his skull as he smacked his head on a rock, moments before he managed to catch his fingers on another rock. He hauled himself up, gasping for breath as his head broke the surface of the rushing water. 

“SOLAS!” Evelyn screamed and jumped down from her perch, running back towards him. She didn’t know how she was going to get to him, how she was going to pull him out, but she had to try. 

The force of the water uprooted trees in its path, swallowing up the Draak that were so close to Solas, washing them away with the sheer force of its momentum. She jumped onto the trunk of a downed tree, looking for the elf. She gasped out when she saw him clinging to a rock, struggling to pull himself up. She ran out on the trunk, slipping once, but managing to stop herself from falling into the water. “Solas!” she cried, dropping to her knees to crawl out as far as she could. She reached out towards him, straining with all her might. “Solas, give me your hand!” she nearly sobbed.

There was so much water rushing past him, he could barely hear Evie yelling for him, but there she was. His vision ruined by the waves of water that washed over him, that tried to carry him into the cave that they had been desperately trying to flood. He gasped for breath, reaching up towards the human that was his lifeline. Their fingers brushed, but he slipped, nearly losing his grip on the stone that was saving his life at the moment. The sharpness of it cut into his hand and he screamed out as he lurched forward, desperate to catch hold of Evie. 

Evie grabbed his wrist and screamed with the effort to pull him out of the water as it tried to tear him away from her. They were both exhausted, their strength failing them. “Don’t… let… go,” she commanded through clenched teeth, her face going red with the effort. She leaned back, straddling the tree, and grabbed his other hand, pulling with all her might. She felt the tears in her eyes, the desperation in her chest to save him. She couldn’t let him go, she wouldn’t. Not now. Not after everything they’d been through together. Not after the amazing week she’d spent with him. 

A breathless sob escaped her as he broke free of the water and she pulled him up onto the overturned tree. She wanted to fling herself at him, to hold him, praise and scold him for what he’d done. But there was no time. “We have to go,” she said, shakily getting to her feet. “We have to get back to the Hanged Man. There are still more of those things out there. We can’t let them get to us!” She grabbed his hand again and pulled him to stand, nearly dragging him along behind her as she ran the length of the tree trunk and jumped to the safety of solid ground. “RUN!”


	10. Chapter 10

 

As they ran, Solas couldn’t remember a time when he had felt more exhausted. Waking up after his thousand year slumber was a close match to what he felt now as he ran after Evie who was following everyone else as they ran back for Kirkwall. Their shadows were growing longer as the sun set. The cold chill of night fell around them as the darkness grew. The sound of the Draak growing stronger with every passing moment. He nearly sobbed out in relief as they entered the city, the familiar streets rising up around them and the Hanged Man a vision on the horizon.

The only thing Evie could hear as she ran was the slap of their boots on the stone street and her pulse pounding in her ears. She could see shadowy figures in her peripheral vision, making a thrill of fear shoot down her spine and spur her on. Her lungs felt as though they might burst. She could see the light from the open door of the Hanged Man, Varric standing there gesturing for them to hurry, shouting at them. She practically threw herself through the door, grabbing hold of Dorian’s arm to keep herself from falling. “Well…” she panted, leaning over and clutching a stitch in her side as Solas made it through the door and Varric slammed it behind him, “that went… according to plan.”

Cassandra glared at her as she eased herself into a chair. “Must you make jokes now?” she hissed. She didn’t want to admit to how much her body ached, but she couldn’t stop herself from wincing. She could feel the blood still trickling down the side of her face, but she waved Sera off as the elf looked at her with concern.

“Sorry,” Evie panted and turned to Solas instead, grabbing hold of his arms to look him over. He had a deep gash near his temple that bled freely, bruises appearing on the side of his face. She wanted to cry, to hug him, to scream, but she was so worked up, she didn’t know which emotion to react to. “Are you okay?”

Solas wavered on his feet, sinking to his knees as she grasped him. He breathed out, feeling his exhaustion reaching a new height. He glanced up, seeing that Dorian was in no better shape, leaning heavily against the Iron Bull. “You should have let me drown in the caverns,” he breathed, not liking that she had risked her life to save his. 

“Never!” she gasped in horror as she got to her knees in front of him, her concern growing. She gave his arms a shake. “Don’t you talk like that! Don’t you ever say something like that again!” She felt the adrenaline wearing off now, leaving her shaking and frightened. She wiped at her eyes as they stung, but the tears came anyway. He must’ve hit his head really hard to be speaking like that. “We need healing potions,” she said to no one in particular before she grabbed his face in her hands, staring fiercely into his eyes. “I couldn’t leave you. I… I don’t want to lose you now.”

Solas leaned into her embrace, giving her a small smile, “Forgive me. I shouldn’t have said it. Thank you for saving me. I would have been lost or worse if you had not pulled me from the waters.”

Varric barred the door and turned to see Cassandra hunched over a table, the blood trickling down her face. “Shit, Cassandra,” he breathed and moved over to her, looking to the bartender and Norah, “We’re going to need a few things. Hot water, bandages. Whatever you got. Those creatures did a number on us.” He reached into his pocket, withdrawing a scrap of cloth, holding it to the Seeker’s wound. “Shit.” 

Dorian fumbled for the potion case on his belt, losing his balance as he tried to stand up straight. He had to catch himself on Bull as he flicked it open and peered inside. All the lyrium potions were gone, but there was one healing potion left. “Here. Anyone who needs it more,” he said, tossing it towards Varric who caught it with his free hand. His eyes were drooping, “Let’s not do that again any time soon. As much fun as it is running for our lives, I’d rather not.”

Evelyn looked over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes. “We only have one healing potion?” she asked, her tone dangerous. “We went into that with only ONE healing potion?!” She thought about yelling at them all for being so careless, but pressed her lips thin. She had been so nervous that morning that she hadn’t thought to bring any either. And it was dark out now, it wasn’t like they could go to a shop and pick up more. “Ridiculous,” she hissed and turned her attention back to Solas. 

Cassandra felt guilty as Varric tipped the little bottle to her lips and she swallowed it down. She gasped out in relief as she felt her body mend; she was almost certain she’d cracked her ribs in all that mess. 

Varric ran his hand over her hair before cupping her cheek and making sure her eyes were clear. As clear as they could be when everyone was as exhausted as they were. He sighed out and pressed a kiss to her bloodied forehead. He moved to sit next to her at the table as bandages and hot water was brought out for them. 

Solas moved to sit with his back near the front door. He had just used the absolute last of his magic to draw a rune onto it. He could hear the angry roar of the creatures as they scrabbled at it, trying to get inside. He leaned back, letting his head rest against the wall as he pulled Evie to his side. He had to fight back a wave of nausea and dizziness as he sat there. He reached up and wiped the blood out of his eyes, gratefully accepting the cloth from Norah when she brought it by. “Are you injured, Evie?”

“No,” Evelyn answered quickly and took the wet cloth to dab at his face, washing away the blood there before she pressed it against the gash she could see near his hairline. She tried to hide the way her hands shook,  and concentrated on evening out her breathing. She honestly thought she’d lost him that day. She blinked harshly and pressed her lips together so hard they trembled. “I’m just a little shook up. That’s all.”

Dorian swayed on his feet again, listening to everyone around them. He knew they should have brought more health potions, but they had no idea that they would be so quickly outnumbered. They had brought all the lyrium they could get their hands on. Who could have thought to bring health potions. He shook his head, a wave of dizziness washed over him and he found himself sagging against Bull. He couldn’t find it in himself to care very much as he found his vision darkening. “I think I’m going to take a small nap now,” he murmured as his knees started to buckle beneath him.

Bull caught hold of Dorian as he almost fell to the floor. He knew Dorian wasn’t hurt, he’d personally made sure that his lover came away without so much as a scratch. But he could see that Dorian was exhausted, physically and mentally. “Easy, Kadan,” he soothed and ducked a bit to drape Dorian’s arm around his shoulder. He looked to the others; the Chargers were over in a corner of the tavern, looking worn out and a little banged up, but he’d seen them look worse. “I’m taking him upstairs to rest. We’ll use one of the other rooms up there for the night,” he said and led Dorian towards the stairs, nearly carrying the exhausted man.

Cole appeared, hurrying down the steps from the children’s rooms. He had been the one who stayed to protect them should anything have gone wrong. He could keep Anthony placated better than most and with Norah’s help, Lily was well take care of. Now as he looked around at his friends, he could feel the sheer worry, the fear they were all feeling about what had just transpired. It was a jumble at the moment and later he would try to help them when it calmed down. For now, they needed help, healing potions and the like. “I can help,” he said before he vanished in a puff of smoke. 

Blackwall leaned back in his chair, nursing a wound to his shoulder where one of the bastards had scratched him before he could turn and chop their arms off. “He can help by killing off every single one of those bastards. Torturing children into those things?! Their innocents! Barely even begun to experience life,” he growled as his hands clenched into fists before he reached up and tugged his armor off, exposing his bare shoulder to the world. The claw marks were dark and oozed blood. “That’s disgusting,” he muttered.

Cole appeared back in the Hanged Man, his arms laden with bottles that he promptly set down on a table and sorted through them. He picked up a healing potion and a bottle of scotch before he turned and set them in front of Blackwall. “I am sorry, I couldn’t find the Orlesian bottle you like so much,” he muttered quietly before he moved around, taking healing potions to Solas and Evie. He set one down for Varric and offered one to Sera with a smile, “Your arm is hurting from shooting so much.”

“Save it,” Sera said, though her voice didn’t hold the bite it usually did when she spoke to Cole. “I’ll be fine by mornin’. We may need that for somethin’ more important.” She huffed and turned to look at the others, a frown on her lips. “So did it work or not? I can hear those friggin’ things out there! Seems to me the only thing we did was piss ‘em off!”

Evie nodded and uncorked the healing potion for Solas, then tipped it to his lips. “You may be right, Sera,” she agreed. She chewed her bottom lip worriedly as she watched Solas. She saw the relief spread across his face and the cut and bruises on his head began to heal and fade. “You need rest,” she said in a soft voice. “And you need to get out of those wet clothes before you catch a cold. I don’t want to see you get sick.”

He managed a small chuckle before he moved to stand up, his normally gracefully moment jerky and he almost fell back onto the floor, but caught himself on the wall. “Sleep would be a wise decision at the moment,” he breathed, catching onto Evie as she came to his side when he faltered again. 

“Let’s get you upstairs,” she said softly and slid her arm around his waist, letting him lean on her as she walked him towards the stairs. She headed straight for the room he’d claimed for himself in the Hanged Man and she kicked the door shut behind them. She paused to make sure he was steady on his feet before she began pulling at his wet clothes, undressing him. “I can’t believe you did that,” she scolded lightly, her voice barely above a whisper. 

He leaned heavily on his staff, letting Evie peel his wet clothes off. He carefully moved to step out of his breeches and moved towards the bed once he was bare. “Do what? Try to save as many of us as I could? Would you have preferred we all had been swept into the mines so we could drown?”

“No, but you didn’t have to risk your life either,” she answered as she toed off her own boots and dressed down, thinking of laying down with him. She pressed back the urge to cry as she stared at him. “I was afraid for you. I thought I had lost you. And that… that terrified me,” she admitted. “If you leave because you have to, that’s one thing. At least then I’ll know you’re still out there somewhere. But if you’d drowned today…” 

He turned and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her closely. “But I didn’t. Thanks to you, I am still alive and well. We should not dwell on what could have been. I have learned that lesson all too well during my time in this world. It is in the past and now we must look ahead.” He lifted a hand so he could tilt her chin up so he could meet her eyes. He could get lost in them, such emotion just for him. It hurt him. He wanted to tell her the truth about everything. Who he was, the conclave, his orb. She would hate him then. He didn’t know what to do. “Come. Let us lay down. It has been a long day and we both need our strength for what is to come.”

* * *

 

Blackwall watched as everyone started heading up the steps to the separate rooms and he looked at Varric and Cassandra who hadn’t moved. “Why don’t you two go on up and rest as well. I don’t think I’m going to get much sleep with those things crawling around all over the place,” he said as he went to the bar, picking up a glass and bringing it back to the table where he popped the top off of the scotch and poured himself a healthy measure. 

Varric snorted, “Yeah, me either.” He looked at the way Blackwall had his sword draped across his lap, ready to jump up at a moment’s notice. Several of the Chargers started up a game of cards in the corner. All of them seemed on edge. “Okay. Hold down the fort. Come wake us if something happens.”

Cassandra forced herself to her feet, swallowing the groan in her throat. She would sleep well that night, she was certain of it. Not from peace of mind, but just from sheer exhaustion. She waited until they were in their own rooms before she spoke. “It would seem That all we have done is kick the proverbial hornets’ nest.” She sighed as she unbuckled her armor and shrugged it off. She turned to look at him, carefully drinking in the details of her husband. “You were not hurt, were you?” she asked, her voice soft and concerned as she stepped closer to him. “I did not think they would come at us in such numbers.”

“You know me. I’m too sturdy for anything to go through me,” he said, trying to lighten the situation, but it wasn’t working. He shrugged off his duster and pulled his shirt over his head before he took out his hair tie and tossed it to the bedside table. He pressed his lips thin before he looked back over at his wife, walking to her and pulling her into his arms as he looked up at her, “I thought for sure when I watched you fall… I didn’t think you were going to get back up again. For all the shit we get into, that… that about broke me, Cassandra. I could go a few more lifetimes not seeing you like that.”

“For a moment, I didn’t know if I would get back up either,” she admitted, shuddering at the thought. “If I had not been wearing my armor, if Sera hadn’t done what she did…” She ran her fingers affectionately through his hair, managing a soft smile for him. “But I am here. Try not to think on it. We are all alive and that is all that matters for the moment.” She leaned down to press a kiss to his lips before she pulled back and smirked. “You are not getting rid of me so easily,” she joked.

He felt a smile tugging at his lips despite himself. “Never thought I’d see the day when I would be fighting to keep you by my side,” he teased and tugged her back down to him, sliding his thick fingers into her soft hair as he pressed his lips to her, softly at first, but then he thought of the day, the sight of her being trampled to death by those monsters and he wrapped his arm around her more securely as he deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue past her sweet lips. She was soft as silk and tasted like spices. He sighed as he pulled back, keeping their heads together. “Just… let’s not do that again anytime soon. At least for the next few hours or so.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” she answered, smiling at him as she closed her eyes, just enjoying the moment of quiet with him. She didn’t want to admit how frightened she had been when she hadn’t been able to free herself, to get to her feet on her own. The way the Draak just kept knocking her down again and again made her feel as though she was going to be crushed there. She kissed him again before she tugged him towards the bed and began to strip away her dirty clothes, wanting nothing more than to spend the night in his arms and forget about their day, if only for a little while.

Varric stood a moment, just watching her strip down to nothing but her glorious caramel colored skin. “Have I told you how beautiful you are today, Seeker?” he breathed as he moved, loosening his sash from around his waist before he untied his breeches and stepped out of them. He moved to crawl onto the bed, watching her in the firelight.

“Once or twice,” she answered, though her heart warmed at his words. “You know I never grow tired of hearing it.” She knelt on the bed, admiring him for a moment before she leaned over him and kissed him again, long and slow, sliding her hand down his muscular arm. She moved to lay next to him, cupping his cheek in her hand as she continued to kiss him, a contented sigh escaping her.

Varric tugged her until she was laying on top of him, reaching up to cradle her face as they kissed. He gently sucked on her lower lip, pausing to nibble on her a moment. He enjoyed having her weight resting on him too much for his own good. Her impossibly long, smooth legs slid down past his own, a thigh brushing against his soft member, which was quickly becoming interested in the warmth on top of him. He moaned softly as he started to harden against her. “Cassandra,” he moaned against her hips as he gently, leisurely thrust up against her.

She answered with a moan of her own, feeling his length harden against her thigh. A tiny smirk pulled at her lips and she shifted her leg, rubbing at him as she watched his reaction. She sat up and straddled him, a sudden thought coming to her, and she reached for the bedside table and pulled out a tiny box. She cocked an eyebrow mischievously at him as she opened it, reached inside, and plucked out one of the tiny cakes. She took a small bite, moaning deep in her throat, and offered the other half to him.

Varric paused, his pleasure-altered mind blinking through the haze to realize what his wife was offering. He looked at the cake and then suspiciously at the box she set next to them on the bed. “Now where did you get those? You know good and well that we finished off that box a week ago during that rain day,” he said, but reached up and let her place the treat in his mouth. The sweet flaky crust melted in his mouth as well as the rich chocolate and fruit that spread over his tongue. “This is fresh,” he mused as he swallowed down the bite, “A day old, no more.”

“Of course it is,” she said matter-of-factly. She didn’t even look at him as she spoke; instead, her eyes were fixed on the box as she selected the next one. She picked it up and swiped the icing off the top with her finger and then looked down at him again. “I went out yesterday morning before everyone else was awake. I did not want to share this time,” she said as she traced the icing from her collarbone down to her breast, painting it over her nipple. She made a show of sucking the rest from her finger, looking at him with hooded eyes. “Although I will share with you, if you are interested.”

His eyes darkened with lust as he watched her finger trail down over her skin. The icing was a stark white compared to her golden skin and he couldn’t stop the moan that escaped him as he moved to push himself up until he was sitting in front of her, his erection standing proudly between his legs as he looked her over. “How generous of you, Seeker,” he breathed as he leaned over, sealing his lips along her collarbone, taking long deliberate strokes of his tongue over the sugary icing as he followed the trail down. He cupped her breast before he sealed his mouth over her, biting and nibbling on the delicate flesh.

Cassandra’s eyes rolled in her head as his hot mouth suckled at her breast, licking away the icing from her nipple, and she popped the rest of the cake in her mouth. Oh, this would become an addiction if she wasn’t careful. “You are going to have to work this off of me or I am going to get fat,” she commented as she picked out another cake. Her core throbbed with need as his mouth pulled hungrily at her nipple and she moaned wantonly. She used the icing from this one to trace over his cock, her mouth watering at the sight of the chocolatey confection on his hard length. She waited for him to pull back from her breast before she offered him the cake and moved to kneel in front of him as he sat there and began to lick away the icing she’d painted on him.

Varric couldn’t stop himself from falling back on the bed, Cassandra following him down. He couldn’t stop the gasp as her heated mouth and that talented, wicked tongue of hers devoured him like he was some high end dessert. He almost laughed at the thought of what the shop owners would do if they had known what had become of their little cakes. Quite frankly, he didn’t give a shit at the moment and he spread his legs wider to accommodate Cassandra. Apparently with the survival instincts, the cakes, and a given on just how irresistible they were to each other, her senses were in overdrive. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

She moaned low in her throat as she descended on him, licking and sucking at the decadent treat before her. Why hadn’t she thought of this sooner?  Her hand grasped the base of his cock as she let her tongue laved over the head, watching him with hooded eyes as he panted and groaned. She stroked him, slow and firm as she kissed her way up his body, pausing to tease his nipple before she kissed his mouth again. “I need you,” she breathed hotly against his lips.

He caught his breath, kissing her back with a heated passion that sounded like it was from one of his trashy romance novels. He pushed himself up onto one elbow, peering into that little box a moment before he plucked out a fruit covered little cake. It was a rainbow of colors and it reminded him a bit of summer with all of the fruit stalls out in the market. The sweet perfume of them made his mouth water just thinking about it. He leaned back and put half of it in his mouth before he crooked his finger at Cassandra as he reached down to steady his length for her. 

Cassandra dipped her head to share the fruity little cake with him as she slowly sank down onto his hard length. She gasped sharply through her nose as she became fully seated on him, shivering at the feel of his thick cock stretching her body. “Oh Maker,” she breathed, chewing the little cake as she rocked on him. She would never get over how amazing he felt inside her. “You are spoiling me, Varric,” she warned.

He chewed his piece, watching her with hooded eyes as he reached up to settle his hands on her waist. He swallowed and met her eyes. “I do have my moments. You know I’m just saving up points so I can be that wonderful thorn in your side,” he said, breathing out as he slowly bucked his hips up into hers. He gasped out as she squeezed down on him tightly. “I’m sure you’ll find a reason to chase me around tables and stab my books in no time.” He let his hands skim up her sides, sighing at the impossibly soft curves under his fingers. She was utter perfection. 

“Would you let that go? It was years ago,” she scolded before giving a cry as he bucked harshly up into her. She grabbed up a cake, not bothering to worry over what kind it was, and popped it in his mouth. “Now shush,” she scolded and smirked as she watched him chew. She pressed herself down harder on him, rolling her hips to swirl his cock inside her. She had to bite her lip to keep herself from crying out her pleasure. She clenched tighter on him, winding her pleasure up and up. “Varric…” she panted. 

He couldn’t help but chuckle at her as a warmth bloomed in his chest for her. It was the best feeling, to be buried hip deep in her, sharing little cakes, their quips, and smiles. He shook his head at her and, from years of practice,  flipped them over so he rested on top of her. He smiled down at her affectionately, some strands of his hair falling forward to frame her face. He leaned down and captured her lips, his tongue dipping inside to taste the remnants of the confection. He sighed contentedly and drew back as he began to thrust into her with earnest. 

Cassandra made a noise of surprise as she suddenly found herself on her back, but a moan escaped her lips the next second at the feel of her husband driving himself forcefully into her. She pinched at her own nipples, crying out as the sharp, pleasurable heat spread through her breasts. “More, Varric,” she breathed and slid her long legs up to rest on his shoulders, letting him bend her in half. She could barely breathe, feeling how deeply he speared her in this position. “YES!”

Varric shivered as she draped her legs over him, she was so damn flexible. He had never thought that about a human before, but she was showing him how much he had been missing. He pressed forward, catching her lips with his, biting at her bottom lip before he pulled back. One of his hands curled around her leg, coming to cup a breast while she continued to pinch at it. The other held onto her leg as he finally gave in and just started pounding into her, the sound of their sweat slicked skin filled the room. He turned his head, moaning into her thigh that was by his ear. “Maker, Seeker, you are gorgeous like this.”

She thought she might lose her mind from the pleasure, the way he so forcefully drove his cock into her center. She shivered beneath him, unable to move much in this position. There was something exciting about that, that she had no choice but to just take whatever he gave her. His name became a prayer on her lips as she cried it out over and over again. She could feel her orgasm fast approaching, that burning ache settling low in her belly. “Varric… VARRIC!” she cried out as she crested, the pleasure blooming over every inch of her being as her body contracted around his like a vice.

Varric groaned out as she clamped down on him as he continued to thrust into her. He let go of her in favor of leaning over and just losing himself in her body as she crested. The way she looked, the way the blush bloomed up her throat as she came with his name on her lips. He gave out a groan and pressed tightly inside of her, “Cassandra,” He breathed reverently as his body tightened a moment before his cock jerked and his spilled himself within her as he came. It seemed to go on and on, the stress from the day, the danger all seemed to ebb from his body as he came down from his high and he eased Cassandra’s legs from his shoulders so he could lay face down on her. his head cradled by her bosom. 

Cassandra was left panting, her mind dizzy from it all. She let her hand fall to the back of his head, gently running her fingers through his hair. After everything they’d gone through that day, it was marvelous to just fall into bed with him and enjoy each other like this. “You are wonderful,” she praised, gently squeezing him within her body. 

He moaned softly at the pleasure of her around him and he leaned up to kiss her gently. “I do have my moments,” he said with a slight smile before he groaned as he lifted himself off of her and moved to the side of her, moving to sit against the headboard as he gathered her in his arms. He didn’t want to think about how close he had been to losing her that day and he closed his eyes against the images of her being trampled, instead he pressed a long kiss to her hair and breathed in her familiar scent. “I love you,” he said quietly.

A happy, content smile crossed her lips as she hugged him, letting him hold her. “I love you more,” she answered and snuggled against his side. It felt so good to have a quiet moment alone with him. But she didn’t have long to enjoy it.

There was a crash from the other room, followed by a terrorized scream that made Cassandra’s blood run cold. She sat bolt upright, as did Varric, and she looked at him with wide eyes before she jumped to her feet, running for her son’s room. “ANTHONY!” 


	11. Chapter 11

Cassandra ran through their home as fast as her long legs would carry her, not even thinking about the fact that she was still completely nude. She knew her children’s cries, she could tell when they were playing or angry or hurt. But that scream - that was one of true terror. She grabbed up a sword as she ran, prepared for anything as she burst through the door to her son’s room.

A cry of fright and anger escaped her when she saw the Draak standing in her son’s room, leering over the little boy who had scrambled out of bed and was now cowering in the corner. Glass covered the floor where the creature had broken through the window.

It turned its ugly head towards her and let out a feral snarl, flaring its wings at her.

“Get away from my son!” she roared at it.

Cole appeared in a puff of smoke in front of the little boy, his daggers drawn and his normally empty eyes filled with anger, “You will not take him!” 

Varric appeared a moment later, his crossbow in his hands as he raised it at the creature. “SHIT, Cole! Get Anthony out of there!” He knew though, it was a bad place to be, if Cole turned around to get the boy, he would expose himself to the deadly claws on that creature. He fired a round of bolts at the creature, wincing as the thing yowled in pain as some hit, some zinging past and hit the wall behind it.

Cole saw his opening and while the beast roared in pain he turned around and grabbed up Anthony, rushing over to get behind Cassandra, cradling the little boy’s head to his shoulder. 

Cassandra heard a commotion behind her, but didn’t have time to think on it as she lunged forward, swinging her sword with trained precision. The sickening slice of metal through flesh resounded in the air for a split second before the creature’s head thunked to the floor and its body collapsed, spilling blood freely.

“SHIT,” Bull growled as he ducked through the doorway. He’d heard the commotion and came running, his axe ready. He took in the sight before him and nearly made a comment on Varric’s and Cassandra’s states of undress, but shut his mouth quickly, realizing the gravity of the situation. They were in no mood to be teased at the moment and they were both armed. He knew better. “How the hell did that thing get in here? I thought Solas put up some elf-magic-crap to keep those things out!”

Varric growled as he looked at the mess on the floor of their son’s room and he peered out the broken window through which the creature had come in. “I’m going to guess we are going to need wards on all doors and windows now. Maybe it got in because it’s a window and not a door? Like I know anything about magic.” He held a hand to his nose, “Andraste’s tits that stinks.” He could barely think over the bawling of his child and he went over to where Cole had taken his son. He gave a weak smile to the spirit. “Thanks, Kid,” he said looking Anthony over, “Son, are you hurt? Did it touch you?”

Anthony shook his head as he clung to Cole’s neck. “No, but it scare me!” he wailed as big tears slid down his face. “I sleeping and that bad monster came in my room!” He ducked his head to hide his face against Cole’s shoulder and bawled.

“We need to do something about this. Now,” Cassandra said firmly. She suddenly remembered that she wasn’t dressed and a heat bloomed over her face as she stood there before Bull and Cole. “I am going to get dressed,” she announced curtly and marched from the room, her jaw set and neck stiff, though the blush didn’t disappear.

Bull let her step past him without a word. “Cole, get Anthony out of here until we get his room cleaned up. Dorian stashed some chocolate behind the kid’s books on the shelf. See if that’ll calm him down,” he said before he turned to Varric. “Go get dressed. I’ll see if Solas is up, get him to put up more of that crap and try to keep those things out. And I’ll get someone to come clean up this mess.” He wrinkled his nose at the sight and smell as a low growl escaped his throat. “You’d think all that water would’ve at least made ‘em smell better.” 

Varric snorted, “Tell me about it,” He muttered, “Just take Anthony to our room when you get him calmed down, some chocolate and warm milk might help.” He watched as Cole nodded and carried Anthony over to the bookshelf, removing a few novels before revealing the bars stacked up against the back. He pulled one out and replaced the books back before he stood up and headed out and down the stairs.

Varric shook his head. “Yeah, get Chuckles,” he said as he followed Cassandra’s path, “We’ll have to see about replacing that window too. Shit.” He walked into the bedroom, and grabbed his breeches off the floor and tugged them on before he went over to the cradle and looked down at their sleeping daughter. 

“This is going too far,” Cassandra said as she got dressed, her movements harsh and jerky. “Now they have invaded our home? I will not stand for this. They will not take our children. I will not let them!” She choked and had to clap a hand over her mouth, fear curling around her heart at how close they had just been to losing their son. “Until this is over, Anthony sleeps with us. End of discussion,” she stated firmly.

* * *

Bull went across the hall to Solas’s room and knocked before he opened the door and peered in. Solas and Evie were sound asleep on the bed, tangled up in each other and the sheet. “Why am I the only one not naked?” he growled under his breath before he banged louder on the already open door. “Solas! Get up. One of those Draak bastards made its way in here. It almost got Anthony.”

Solas jerked awake, sitting up at the sudden intrusion, his hand glowing with ice for a moment before he realized it was just Bull standing in their room. Then his words caught up with him. “What? Is the boy alright?” he asked as he flipped the cover off of himself and moved to look for his pants; they were hanging over a chair and he winced as they were still wet. “Where is the creature now?” he asked sternly as he tugged on his pants and grabbed his staff from where it was leaning against the wall.

“It got in through a window,” Bull answered as Evelyn sat up, hugging the blanket to cover herself. “Anthony’s alright. Scared out of his mind, but not hurt. And the slimy bastard is dead. Cassandra took its head off.” He ducked back out of the room, but paused before he shut the door, “I’ll wake Dorian. We’ll meet you across the hall.”

Evelyn scrubbed at her face with both hands and yawned. They couldn’t have been asleep for more than an hour or two at best. “How did they get past that rune you drew on the door? Will you have to seal all the entrances that way?” she asked as she moved to pull her dirty, wet clothes back on. She groaned at the feel of them. “This isn’t fair. You need your rest. I wish these things would just die already,” she huffed.

“It appears so. The one rune on the front door should have been sufficient enough for the whole building. Though, perhaps their ability has been increased due to the effects of red lyrium being part of the process in which they are transformed. And we do not yet know what abilities those that have been taken if they are mages when they are turned,” he said, leaning on his staff, “Do not worry. I will do what I can. Regardless of my state of rest.”

She got to her feet and gave him a sad smile. “You give so much of yourself,” she said softly and reached out to cup his cheek. The exhaustion showed in his blue eyes. She wanted nothing more than to just drag him back to bed and make him sleep, but no one was safe if the Draak were getting inside now. “I wish there was more I could do to help you,” she said.

He leaned into her hand, locking his eyes with her. “I could give everything I am and it would still not be enough. I must do this,” he said firmly, “But thank you. Your concern is welcome even though I do not deserve it.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her parted lips before he stepped around her and went out into the hallway, looking around before he went for the front of the Hanged Man to check on the ward he placed there.

Evelyn sighed as she watched him go. She didn’t understand why he thought himself so undeserving and she made a mental note to bring it up with him later after he was well rested. Doing so now, when he was under pressure and tired would likely end up in an argument, which she did not want to have. She went across the hall and let herself into Varric’s rooms where Anthony was now quietly sitting in Cole’s lap, eating chocolate and drinking milk while Cassandra and Varric stood nearby. “Solas is up. He’s going to put up more wards to keep those things out.”

Varric nodded, still standing over his daughter, his crossbow not entirely lax in his hands as he kept glancing towards the single window in their room. “Shit, good. I hope they work this time. I don’t doubt Chuckles’ ability with magic, but I hope it works this time. It seemed to have when he used it before. Then, of course, we have never led them straight to our doorstep either,” he grumbled, sparing a look at Anthony, “I won’t let those bastards nab our son.”

“Dark, terrified, dangerous. They are looking for a replacement to take charge. Someone who is powerful and resilient,” Cole frowned and looked to Cassandra and Varric, “They think Anthony is that person.”

Cassandra felt the blood drain from her face. “Why?” she demanded. “He is a child. It is not as if he is a mage. That is ridiculous!” A fury curled around her heart at the very thought, that they would target her son for such a purpose. Her hand tightened around her sword as a dark look crossed her face. “Over my dead body.”

“He is half human, half dwarf. He is resistant to magic, but then he isn’t,” Cole said as he looked down at the boy in his arms, chewing on the bar of chocolate in his hands, “He could be the one they are looking for. Someone who can ignore the song of the red lyrium and still be able to command everyone else.” 

Varric gritted his teeth and cocked his crossbow, nodding towards Cassandra, “What she said. It will be a cold day in hell before I let those monsters take my kid, torture him and turn him into one of those…. things.” He looked at Anthony and everything he and Cassandra had suffered to have him. Anger thrummed through his veins. He was not going to let those monsters have him.

Bull pressed his lips to a thin line as he leaned against the closed door to Anthony’s bedroom. If any more of those things were going to try to get in, they were going to have to go through him first. “Way more of those bastards escaped than we planned for,” he muttered in a low voice. “This problem isn’t going away anytime soon. I know we killed a lot of them, they couldn’t have all escaped. But… crap, how many were down there to begin with?”

“Throbbing, thrumming, the need consuming. They are acting on instinct. Without a leader, they have no purpose, no goal. All that they know is darkness, the song of red. They need to find someone new who can control the song, make it less than what it is.” He curled protectively around Anthony, “I will not let them take him.” 

Evelyn felt sick to her stomach and she couldn’t imagine how Varric and Cassandra felt. She knew how much their children meant to them, how they’d struggled to have them. Losing their first child had damn near destroyed them; she didn’t want to think about what would happen to them if they lost Anthony or Lily now, and she repeated Cole’s sentiment, “We won’t let them take him. I swear on my life, those beasts will have to get through ALL of us before they get to him. And that’s not possible.”

“If I had realized they were after him, I would not have led them straight here to our home,” Cassandra said, the guilt beginning to gnaw at her. “We cannot just sit here like victims, waiting for them to get to us. We must come up with another plan to finish eradicating them.” Her blood ran cold when she heard a scream outside. “They are attacking other homes. Maker, forgive us…”

“We need a plan,” Bull growled. “I’ll go wake the others. Varric, keep an eye on this door.” He didn’t mean to bark orders at the dwarf in his own home, but his stress was getting to him. He banged on Sera’s door as he passed, shouting at her to get her ass in with the others, they had things to discuss. 

He paused in the doorway to the room he and Dorian had claimed for the night. The mage was sprawled chest-first over the bed, snoring loudly with one foot dangling over the edge. He hated to wake him, but he didn’t have a choice. “Kadan,” he said, shaking Dorian’s shoulder, “Wake up. We’ve got a problem.”

Dorian groaned, it was certainly too early for him to be getting up. He felt so exhausted and he lifted a hand beyond the covers, the chilled air freezing on his warm skin. “Five more minutes, Amatus, please. We just finished,” he murmured.

Bull rolled his eye and gave Dorian a firmer shake. “A Draak got into Anthony’s bedroom. Solas is trying to put up more wards, but we have to figure out what to do,” he said, pulling the covers away. “Get up.”

Dorian’s eyes went wide and he sat up quickly, praying that he had heard the Qunari wrong. His body did not want to cooperate. He was exhausted in every sense of the word and he waivered as he considered his love’s words. “What do you mean they got into his bedroom?! Solas put wards up! There shouldn’t be anything crawling it’s way in here in the first place. He is too powerful a mage for that to happen!”

Bull reached out and grabbed Dorian’s shoulders to steady him. “I don’t know what’s going on. But those things are crawling all over the city. We have to figure out our next move. Anthony’s alright. That thing crawled in through his window. Cass killed it, but they’re not going to stop. Cole says they want Anthony.”

Dorian grasped Bull’s forearms, narrowing his eyes at the other man. “What do you mean they ‘want’ Anthony? They should be mindless beasts. They shouldn’t be singling anyone out! Especially not Anthony.” He grit his teeth and went to the door, grabbing his staff from where it was leaning against the wall. “They won’t get him. Over my dead body. And I’m a necromancer. I’d like to see them try.”

Bull followed after him. “You’re not saying anything we haven’t already said. I don’t know how Cole knows, it’s that weird shit he does. That mind-reading-demon-crap,” he said as he pulled their door shut. “Ask him. Maybe he can explain it to you better.”

Sera joined them in the hall, catching a bit of what Bull and Dorian said. “Who wants who now?” she asked. Her expression darkened as Bull repeated to her what he’d told Dorian. “Ohhhh, friggin’ no. I saw what losin’ one did to them. We can’t let them lose another.” Her tightened her grip on her bow and practically kicked Varric’s door open. “So! What’s next, then? These things need killin’ and I got plenty o’ arrows.”

Dorian wandered over to sit next to Cole and Anthony at the table, looking the boy over as he drank down a cup of steaming milk. He let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding when he didn’t see any marks of any kind. “First things first, Solas needs to finish putting up the wards. After that…” He shook his head and looked over at Cassandra wearily, “I don’t think I’ll ever sleep again.”

“Tell me about it,” she said heavily as she sat down at the table and leaned her elbows on it, covering her face with her hands. Would it ever stop? No matter what they did, there always seemed to be some sort of threat to their world. And a small part of her felt guilty and selfish for ever having children in the first place, for bringing them into such a world. “Maker, I just want this nightmare to end.”

Varric leaned over his little girl’s crib, reaching down into it to brush a few of her curls off of her face before he tucked the blanket more securely around her tiny form. “Cassandra, maybe you should get out of town while we deal with this. Take the kids and go back to Skyhold. If anything were to happen… I don’t think I could forgive myself.”

Cassandra whipped her head around so fast she felt her neck pop. “Absolutely not!” she protested. Fear and anger rose up in her chest. “Varric Tethras, you have lost your mind if you think for one instant that I would abandon you here! That is absolutely ludicrous. I will not even entertain such a notion!”

“Think about it, Cassandra! This is bigger than you or me! Would you rather stay here and keep the kids in danger just because you don’t want to leave me to deal with this mess?” he said louder than he would have liked and lowered his voice when he noticed his little girl shift uncomfortably in the crib.

She felt the angry tears at the corners of her eyes and she got to her feet, her shoulders shaking. “You cannot make me choose! Do not do this to me, Varric! You cannot!” she shot back at him, absolutely livid that he would give her such a decision to make.

Dorian pressed his lips together and found himself shaking his head. “No offense, Varric, but her leaving isn’t much of an option. Leaving with the children could be just the opportunity that these creatures are waiting for. When better to strike than when your target is only guarded by one person?”

Sera gasped out, her eyes lighting up, and clapped her hands. “Wait, wait, wait! I got it!” she exclaimed, not even pausing when Solas walked in. “These things want Anthony, right? Soooo we use that to lure them all in!”

“What?!” Cassandra roared, rounding on the elf. “You will not use my son as bait! Have you lost your mind?!”

“No, wait! WAIT!” Sera said, completely undeterred. “I’m not sayin’ we use him, but we make them THINK we’re usin’ him.” She paused as if looking for approval, then huffed as they all looked at her like she was crazy. “We sneak Anthony out somewhere else, but make them think he’s still with you,” she said, pointing at Cassandra and Varric. “Then, when we get ‘em all gathered in one place, we let that other dwarf set off some of that black powder and BOOM! Draak guts  _ everywhere .” _

“.........You are insane,” Cassandra deadpanned and turned away from Sera. 

Varric grit his teeth, thinking over what Sera had said. “Okay, let’s say we are considering this. How exactly do we trick them into thinking Anthony is in one place when he is actually in another?”

“Think about it,” Sera said. “If Creepy here says they know Anthony is here, and they followed you here to find him, then that means they probably expect him to be wherever you two are. We just have to find a place to lure them to and then use YOU as bait. Well, I mean, you know, make sure you have a way out an’ all that.”

“This could work,” Bull said slowly, “It’s risky, and we’re making the assumption that they’ll actually take the bait. But if that’s what they’re really after, if they think Anthony is the answer to whatever they’re looking for, I bet we could get most of them to fall for it. Rocky’s been itchin’ to blow some shit up anyway.”

Dorian rubbed at the back of his head. “That’s all well and good, but where are we thinking we can do this? I’m assuming that we don’t want to lure them into the city and blow it to smithereens. We will need some place to lead them all.” 

Solas came into the room, walking over to the window and drew a rune onto it. “That is the last one,” he said before he walked over to stand near the table, “And I heard your plan. There must be a place somewhere out by the Bone Pit that we can use to box them in. We can scope out the area tomorrow.”

Cassandra shook her head and marched from the room. “Or to come up with a better plan,” she snarled. “You must all be far too tired to be capable of coherent thought right now!”

Evelyn moved to stand next to Solas, fearing he might fall over, he looked so exhausted. “We’ll see you all in the morning,” she said and turned towards the door, tugging him along with her. “We can discuss it more then when everyone is well rested and thinking clearly.”

Solas nodded and let Evie pull him along back to their room. He was so tired and they had barely had any sleep before the monster had attacked. They had to be stopped before they grew any more in their power. “It is unsettling that one managed to break past my ward. They will not do it again. Not with so many on every entrance into this building, but it is troubling to think that they might in fact be getting stronger,” he said as he moved to sit down on the bed, leaning his staff against it. 

Evelyn moved to take his staff and rest it against the wall. “I’m so sorry you had to get up,” she said softly and moved to carefully help him out of his shirt and pants, which were still damp from earlier that day. She undressed as well, now that they’d somewhat gotten everything under control, and moved to sit down beside him. “When this is all over, we’ll sleep for a week straight, yeah?”

He gave her a faint smile. “If only,” he said as he reached up and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, “There will be little rest for me once we finish here. Perhaps a day or two of solid sleep before I have to be on my way.” He wished he could stay that long, longer, but he couldn’t do that. He should never have allowed himself or her to become so involved with one another. It would always end in heartache. 

She felt the corner of her mouth twitch. “I know,” she said softly. Part of her didn’t want to believe that he would have to go. She sighed heavily and moved to lay back flat on the bed. “Guess it’ll be back to Skyhold for me. Yaaaaaaay,” she drawled sarcastically. A frown for herself crossed her lips a moment later. “I shouldn’t be like that.”

“You have not been enjoying your time there as Inquisitor? Though, I imagine some of the luster has come away after having defeated Corypheus and closed the rifts in the Veil. All politics and courtly intrigue now. Such as it is once a battle is won, those remaining come to show support for the winning side, regardless of who they were cheering for in the beginning.”

“Which basically means they’re all fake,” she grumbled. “I shouldn’t complain. I should be grateful I was able to help the people here. Complaining is just going to make me sound like a spoiled rotten child.” She sighed again and stared up at the ceiling, blowing a piece of hair out of her vision. “Now if I could just get Josephine to…” She trailed off and pressed her lips thin. She didn’t want to see any of those suitors now for sure; none of them would ever live up to Solas, she was certain of that much. And it made her heart hurt. “I should just order in more books. Books will keep me occupied,” she suddenly mused, trying to lighten the mood.

Solas closed his eyes at her words, yet one more thing to be guilty about. “If it helps, I have never viewed you as a spoiled rotten child. It is not in your nature. You have always been a remarkable woman, with such grace and subtlety in every action you take. You have given me a great gift to be with you in such a way. Truly, ma vhenan. It will bring me no pleasure when I must go on.” 

Evie felt her throat constrict. The knowledge that she had so little time with him made her heart feel as though it might rip in two. She knew that from the beginning, but she hadn’t expected to care so deeply for him. She reached for his hand, gently twining their fingers together. “Are you sure you have to go?” she asked quietly. “You could always come back to Skyhold.” She wanted to kick herself for asking, she knew it was selfish, yet she couldn’t seem to stop herself.

He paused and looked down at their hands together and he swallowed at the gesture, the words were bitter in his mouth. “Evie, I cannot. You know this. When we started this, you knew that it would be a brief respite from everything. A wonderful moment amidst all of this pain and suffering, despite everything. It pains us both, but it is what must be done,” he said as he lifted their hands and placed a kiss to her knuckles.

She really hated herself for asking. “I know. You’re right, of course. I’m sorry, Solas. I shouldn’t have asked. I’ve just enjoyed spending time with you so much, it’s hard to think of going back without you. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. I apologize,” she said. A smile crossed her lips as she looked at him, the fluttering full-force in her stomach as his warm lips pressed against her hand. “Although I still maintain that you have spoiled me. No one will ever compare to you.”

“Yet another thing I must apologize for. You should not hold me so highly in your opinions,” he said as he lowered their hands, “I can only beg for your forgiveness on the matter, but I am not sorry for it. I would do it over again. The past week has truly been one of the best in my life. Present dangers aside, of course.”

She managed a small laugh for him. “I feel the same. I’d do it all over again if I could,” she said. She studied him for a moment, her earlier questions rising again. “Solas, I have to ask you something. Why do you think so poorly of yourself? Over and over, you’ve made statements about how you feel unworthy in some way. I don’t understand. You’re a good man. Why do you act like you aren’t?”

Solas exhaled through his nose and untangled their hands, studying her eyes for a moment. “Because I am not a good man. Though I have tried to be,” he said, looking away from her and pressed the heels of his hands into his face before he scrubbed at his eyes. “You should just accept that if you knew…” He trailed off. Oh how he wanted to tell her, but he didn’t want to see that look of betrayal in her eyes. Then again, it might make it easier for her to understand, to accept that they had to part ways. A small voice whispered that if she knew the whole story, she might want to join him. Help him rebuild and lessen his suffering through his self imposed punishment. That would never be, he knew. She would never forgive him. He turned and cupped her cheek, leaning down and claiming her lips, slipping his tongue into her sweet mouth, letting it curl over her own. A desperate kiss.

Evelyn slid her arm around his bare shoulders, kissing him back with just as much need and want. She didn’t understand. She had never seen anything but good in him. Perhaps he was a little too serious sometimes, a little too fatalistic, but this past week had shown her that he could be warm and caring and fun, too. It didn’t make any sense. He really believed he wasn’t a good person? 

She was breathless by the time they broke the kiss, her lips hot and throbbing. She met his gaze with intensity in her own eyes as she curled her fingers into his hair. “I don’t believe it for a second,” she whispered fiercely. 

He closed his eyes tightly and reached up to untangle her hand from his hair, setting it on her lap before he stood up and went to his clothes, tugging his pants back on. “You should,” he said quietly before he turned to look at her still sitting on the bed. He breathed out evenly before he walked over to her and cupped her face, “And I care too deeply for you to keep lying to you.”

She pulled back, blinking at him. “Lie to me?” she asked, uncertain if she wanted to hear what he had to say or not. An unpleasant squirming filled her stomach as she searched his eyes, which looked full of sorrow and made her even more wary. “Solas, what do you mean?” she asked, more worry in her voice than she would’ve liked.

He pulled away from her as if his hand burned and he went back to his clothes, tugging his tunic on over his head. “I am not certain where to start,” he said quietly. “How much do you know of ancient elven lore? Do you remember our time at the Temple of Mythal? Of Abelas and the other elves there?”

Evelyn felt decidedly uncomfortable with him now fully dressed and her not, so she grabbed the blanket and pulled it around her, watching him as he finished dressing. “I remember. I’ll admit, I probably don’t know as much about elven history as I should, but enough to get by on,” she said. She drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around her shins, the tone of his voice making her fear what he might say next. 

“Most of what you have heard is likely grave misunderstandings as much of it has been lost to time. You once asked me who my people were. Are.” He pressed a hand to his head, rubbing at his temples as everything in him screamed at him to stop, but he found a sick joy in torturing himself. “Elvhen. Like Abelas. I have had many travels in the Fade, it was during a thousand year sleep called uthenara.”

She tipped her head curiously at him. “A thousand year sleep?” she asked. “You… you mean… Solas, you can’t possibly be that old! Look at you!” she said, gesturing at him. “You’re…” She didn’t even know how to complete her sentence. 

“Immortal,” He finished for her.

Evelyn narrowed her eyes in disbelief. “Immortal?” she breathed. “But how is that possible? I don’t…” She pressed her hands to her forehead as her mind reeled. Never had Solas given her any reason to doubt what he said, he wasn’t one for playing jokes. And the seriousness in his eyes and voice told her that he spoke the truth. She lowered her hands, steeling her nerves, and looked at him again. “Go on.”

He could see her retreating into a defensive pose, steeling her mind for whatever he was getting ready to tell her. He felt rather numb, all of his faults laid bare, someone to answer to for everything he had done. “I realize telling you all of this without some significant history of elves and their culture…” He shook his head. “That should not matter. Actions are actions. You recall when Abelas spoke of the elves warring upon themselves? How when Tevinter came to scavenge what was left of us? Their war was terrible. Many innocents were dying because of it and something had to be done. Mythal and I were trying to work as peacekeepers. It is the best I can explain that. Then the betrayal happened. They murdered her, or so I thought, and my rage would not be contained.” 

He was pacing now, his hands moving animatedly as he told her his story. The first one to hear the truth. “So tired I was of the bloodshed and deeply hurt by the loss of my friend, I knew that they were leading the elves to extinction. I made a choice, albeit a poor one. I tricked both warring sides to retreating back to their realms while under the guise that I would destroy the other faction. Once they were each in their respective places, I sealed them away,” he swallowed and looked at her steadily, “with the power from my orb.”

She listened with fascination, trying to understand it all. “It’s understandable that you would be angry. Mythal was your friend,” she tried to reason. “You were trying to stop the war.” A sinking feeling crept into her heart at the mention of the orb, the way he looked at her in that moment. “Your orb?” she asked, feeling as though her breath was being stolen away. “You… you mean, the orb Corypheus had? But how did he get it?”

He stood still, letting his arms fall to his sides and he held his head up. “After sealing away the ‘gods,’ I was so weary of war, the losses, the blood. I went into uthenara. I had planned to stay asleep, but something woke me when the eluvians began to reactivate. What I saw when I woke horrified me. The People. They have become shadows of their former selves. No immortality, no history. Many are slaves or worse. And it is all my fault, Evie. All mine. I panicked and sought to undo the mess I had made of the world. However, when I tried to access the power of my orb, my foci… I found I hadn’t the strength. My slumber weakened me immeasurably.” 

He closed his eyes, “I needed someone to unlock it. Someone powerful enough to do so. My next failure. I thought Corypheus greedy, evil incarnate. Someone who would not wait to unlock the power of the orb. I gave it to him. Once again to my horror and ill judgement, he did not immediately unlock it, but he took it and bided his time. Instead of opening it when he was alone, far away from any civilization….” He pressed his hands to his eyes, “He unlocked it at the Conclave, killing thousands. And my plan to have him unlock my orb and kill himself in the process utterly failed. Every choice I make is worse than the last.”

Evelyn felt as though he had punched her. Truly, she could not have been more surprised and horrified than she was in that moment. “This was all your doing?” she asked, feeling sick. “ _ You  _ caused the explosion at the conclave? You… so many people died that day…” She felt the tears gathering in her eyes. “And you knew all along!” She looked down at the mark on her hand, feeling the betrayal course through her. “And you used me to try to fix your mistake,” she growled, her eyes still fixed on her hand.

He let his hands drop again. “And for what happened to you, no apology I could give you, no excuse would ever make up for it. The burden was to be mine, but since he had my orb and you had the means of closing the rifts, a responsibility I wanted nothing more to take from you. It was my fault, but I had little choice in the matter. I knew if I had shared the truth with you then, I would have been executed with all my mistakes waiting for other undeserving people to clean up.”

“Executed?” she breathed. “I wouldn’t have let them do that to you!” She blinked at him again, unaware of her own tears that slipped from her eyes. “You’ve never trusted me,” she said, a knot in her throat. It was all too much, to hear how he had spent so much time at her side, knowing the truth all along and never thought to share it with her. “You coward,” she spat at him. “Do you have any idea all the hurt you have caused? Everything we went through…  _ everything  _ is your fault!” She pressed her lips thin, shaking her head angrily, and got to her feet, grabbing up her clothes to pull them on.

“I trusted no one,” he said firmly, anger seeping into his voice. It wasn’t anger at her, it was anger at himself. “I have a very good idea of how much hurt I have caused this world. I deserve to be dead. But death is too good for me. It is a coward’s way out. I will not stop until I have fixed all the wrongs I have committed. I single handedly brought down the elves to the sad state they are in now. It plagues my thoughts every second of every day, an entire empire’s worth of blood is on my hands because of ‘good intentions’ and it was not enough. And for one moment, one brief glorious moment, you shared a part of yourself with me and my task suddenly didn’t seem so daunting, so endless. I will not apologize for this past week. I…” He trailed off and turned from her, going to the window to stare out into the night. His next words sounded broken, “I am sorry for the pain that I have caused you, but words are not going to make things right. Only action.”

She snorted at him. “Yes, this past week must’ve been quite the escape for you,” she said, venom dripping from her voice. “Just using me again. What a fool I am.” She struggled to pull on her still damp breeches, the wet cloth sticking to her skin and she stumbled with a frustrated growl. “Maybe you should just stop. Every time you try to make things better, you just seem to make it worse. Will you not be satisfied until the entire world is destroyed?” She pulled at her pants, finally getting her leg through, and stood up to lace them, shaking her head again. “I cannot believe how stupid I am. To think I cared for you, let you into my heart like this…” Her voice cracked and she had to sniffle, wiping her eye on her shoulder. “I trusted you,” she said, her heart breaking, and she met his eyes with a hateful glare. “So all this time, through everything we’ve been through and shared, you’ve been lying to me. I don’t know you at all.”

“I have never lied to you about what we shared. All the knowledge, the long talks here and at Skyhold. I have told you the truth. I only hid what I needed to so I could continue my work. What happened between us? It was real, but I see how foolish I was to think that I could even have a small shred of happiness. I deserve nothing. Less than nothing. I deserve all the fury and rage you possess for what I have done, but my work is not finished. Perhaps it will take me another thousand years to fix what I have done.” He shook his head and turned from the window, sliding down against the wall as he looked up at her, relishing in her anger. “Know my name so you may curse it with the rest of the People, that is all it is worth.” He looked down at the floor and covered his eyes, feeling his chest constricting, a vice sliding around his heart. “Fen’harel. The Dread Wolf,” he spat. 

“You’re one of the elven gods,” she deadpanned. Her eyes rolled to the ceiling as she tried to keep herself from crying. “Your name  should be cursed for what you’ve done. For the pain and suffering you have caused,” she spat, wishing her words could hurt him as deeply as he’d hurt her. “I don’t believe a word of what you said about us, about caring for me. It was all a ploy to get what you wanted. Nothing more. I will never believe another word from your mouth.” She gave a bitter laugh. “And to think that I lov… that I cared for you so much. What a fool I am,” she snorted. She narrowed her eyes, giving him the most loathsome look she could muster. “I want you gone. When the sun comes up, you need to leave. We will handle the Draak on our own. We don’t need or want your help.”

“No,” he said firmly, “Regardless what you think of me is the truth any more, I stand by what I have said. I am here to help you destroy these creatures that could be the end of us all.” He grit his teeth, “Are you going to tell the others about me?” 

She snorted again. “Are you sure you don’t want to help the Draak instead?” she spat venomously. She shook her head. “No. I’m not going to tell them. I’m not doing your dirty work anymore. If they find out, it will be when you decide to stop lying to everyone and tell them yourself. If you can muster up the courage.” She huffed angrily. “Fine. Stay if you wish. But keep the hell away from me.”

Each word was like a knife stabbing deeply into his chest and he nodded curtly, wondering why he just couldn’t have left well enough alone, pretended until he had to leave? He knew why and he lowered his head, sliding his hands to clasp them behind his neck, staring into the floorboards, “As you wish, Inquisitor.”

She had to get away from him before she broke down completely in front of him. Turning sharply on her heel, she marched from his room and slammed his door with all the strength she could muster. But she cringed the next second, realizing everyone else had gone to bed. She grabbed at her hair as she fell back against the wall, a sob escaping her throat. 

The hall was dark and quiet as she leaned over, crying, trying not to scream. Of all the things he could’ve done, she never expected this. The betrayal was almost too much to bear. She wished she knew some elven curse to spit at him, to somehow cut him even deeper, but now all she wanted was to lay down somewhere and cry herself to sleep.

The room she’d taken for herself was now occupied by Bull and Dorian. She didn’t want to sleep in with Sera for fear of waking up to some prank. And sharing a room with Blackwall for the night was out of the question - she was done with liars for the rest of the evening.

She finally went to Varric’s and Cassandra’s door and found it unlocked. She poked her head in, but their rooms were dark and silent, so she didn’t call out to them. Instead, she quietly let herself in, curled up in front of the fireplace, and cried herself into a fitful sleep.

__

* * *

 

It was Lily’s crying that drew Varric out of his sleep. He blinked in the darkness, the room cast in an orange glow from the fireplace and the sleeping faces of his wife and son next to him came into view. He smiled at that, the way Cassandra’s face was buried into Anthony’s dark hair while she was curled around him protectively. He leaned over and kissed them both on the forehead before he moved to get up, speaking quietly. “Yes yes, princess, I’m coming,” he murmured as he stopped by the cabinet to grab a fresh diaper and changing supplies. 

Like the Seeker, he knew the cries of his children by heart and he knew what that particular one meant. He reached into the crib and picked up the crying baby and cradled her in his arms before he moved to the table in the other room, stopping short at the dark form curled up in front of the fire. “Evie?” he asked, concerned, “Are you alright?” He tossed the diaper on the table and wandered over to her, holding Lily to him as he looked down at the Inquisitor. “What happened? You look awful,” he said, wincing as his girl’s cry hit a higher pitch and he turned to the table quickly. 

His hands moved quickly as he murmured quietly to his little girl, shooting glances at Evie’s blank stare into the fireplace. She wasn’t hurt, so for the moment, she could wait. He told the baby a small story while he changed her, a little girl finding the last griffon in the world and nursing it back to health. It was a work in progress. His gentle fingers carefully cleaned her up and quickly had her in a clean, fresh diaper. 

Laughter bubbled up from her as he tossed the soiled cloth into the bin by the door and he moved back to pick her up, cradling her in his arms as he went back over to the Inquisitor while he waited for his baby to settle down and go back to sleep. “So. Want to talk about it?”

Evelyn shrugged numbly and just continued to stare into the fire. She pushed herself to sit up and wrapped her arms around her shins, resting her chin on her knees. Her eyes burned and she could no longer breathe through her nose. “Solas,” she said thickly. Even speaking his name brought more tears to her eyes. A choked sob escaped her as she lowered her forehead to her knees. “Varric, I’m so stupid.”

His brow furrowed and he gave her a serious look. “What did Chuckles do? Should I go have a word with him with Bianca?” he asked, seeing the tears on her cheeks and he let out a heavy sigh, “I know that look. I think I’ve worn it a couple of times. Most recently after we returned from Valammar.”

She looked up at him, a sad frown on her face, and nodded. “I wouldn’t stop you,” she answered. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks and she didn’t even attempt to stop them now. It hurt too much. “He’s a liar. I thought…” She choked and had to start again. “I trusted him. I thought he cared about me. But he’s just been using me.” She wouldn’t tell his secret, wouldn’t reveal who he truly was or what he had done. But the way she felt encompassed it all, their time at Skyhold and their recent week together. With shaking fingers, she wiped at her eyes, but it did nothing to stem her tears. “I can’t believe how stupid I’ve been, believing all that sweet-talk. He cares for nothing but all that ancient elven bullshit he’s always on about. I was a fool to think he cared for me.”

Varric tried to keep up with the words that were coming out, blubbering with the cries and an occasional catch in her throat. “Evie, are you sure about that? I’ve seen the way you two have been this past week. Inseperable. And yeah, he’s always been big on the Fade and the ancient elves since that temple. That’s just who he is. You know he can get carried away without meaning to. Hell, I had to force him to eat a couple of times on occasion because he wouldn’t stop working. Something about keeping at it for the greater good. Almost as bad as Sparkler to be honest. But he cares about you, I mean, you have seen the way he looks at you, right?” He rocked his baby girl a moment more, “So, what did he lie to you about?”

Evelyn wanted to tell Varric, but she always tried her best to keep her word. “Everything,” she finally stated, knowing it wasn’t a good enough answer, but it was the best she could give. She scrubbed at her eye with the heel of her hand. “This is what I get for trusting someone so much. For caring,” she grumbled and hiccupped. She dropped her hand and looked up at him. “Is there something wrong with me? There have only been two men I’ve ever taken interest in and both of them lied to me and used me.” She blinked and looked at the floor, speaking more to herself than him now, “There has to be something wrong with me.”

Varric snorted. “If you’re not normal then I think I am right up there with you. You know things with us are always weird and complicated,” he said before he offered Lily over to her. “Here, magic baby powers. She will make you feel better while I try to put this into words.”  He was going to have a stern talking with Solas. He used her? Like, thanks for the warm bed, see you type deal? He shuddered; he knew that feeling all too well. “You remember when Bianca came to visit because she had info on the source of red lyrium? How she lied to me, lied to my face about how the lyrium location got to Corypheus in the first place? I mean, shit. I should have never told her about it in the first place. I just… I was in love with her, or about as close as I could, I trusted her with my information, that she would listen to me when I told her how dangerous it was. Felt like she ripped out a piece of me then. I felt betrayed and used, probably just like you do now. I know she did it with a just cause in mind, but we see how well that turned out. When you break it all down, I gave Corypheus red lyrium.” 

“No you didn’t, Varric,” Evelyn said, her crying calmed as she bounced the baby girl in her arms. “Bianca did. She broke your trust, did all that shit behind your back. It’s not like you placed it in his hand.” A soft smile pulled at her lips when Lily cooed at her. “Magical baby powers,” she murmured. “At least yours turned out for the better, though. You have Cassandra now. And you have your children. You got it right the second time around. And me… I just fell for the same old bullshit all over again.”

Varric smiled at Lily. “Yeah, but it’s been a long time coming. Still a lot of things that could go wrong. And in the end, it wasn’t like Bianca was proud of what she did. Yeah, it was stupid, but in the end she was trying to make up for what she had done. Personally. It takes a lot of guts to do that, knowing what kind of danger she put herself in, me in. Everyone.” He smiled and ruffled Lily’s soft hair. “And you know what? If she hadn’t done it, I’d still be playing tag with her. Trying to work at a broken relationship. If she hadn’t done what she did, Cassandra and I never would have gotten drunk on that special night. None of this would have ever gotten in the works.”

“I swear to the Maker if you’re working towards a ‘this is preparing you for something better’ kind of speech, I will kick you,” she warned. She shook her head and looked back to Lily. “Maybe I should just stop. Just… give in to Josephine and settle down with one of those suitors she keeps pushing at me. At least if my heart isn’t in it from the beginning, I can’t get hurt, right? Anything’s better than feeling like th-this,” she said, choking up as the tears brimmed in her eyes again. 

He reached out and rubbed at her shoulder. “Hey, none of that. You let me go have a talk with Chuckles. I can get it sorted out for you. You shouldn’t give into Josephine just because you don’t want to feel like this. Sadly, heartache is just part of it all. Believe me. You just have to work through it. Talk to him, call him an idiot. Be the Inquisitor and tell him how it’s going to be. The Evelyn Trevelyan I know won’t go down without a fight. If he is really important to you, then show it to him, make him know you are serious and you aren’t going to take any lies. You don’t have to be the victim if you don’t want to be. You know anyone of us will back you up.” 

“Oh yes, just bully him into what I want?” she asked sarcastically, though she knew Varric didn’t deserve her venom. “I knew from the start that it wouldn’t last. I just wish I hadn’t let myself care for him so much. And I wish he would’ve just kept his damn secrets. Why did he have to tell me? I could’ve moved on oblivious to the fact that I’ve been sleeping with a liar. That would’ve been kinder.” She sighed as Lily gave a big yawn and snuggled in her arms a little more. “Don’t talk to him about it. Just… just act like you don’t know anything. It’s better that way. The last thing we need around here is more drama. We have a mission to complete. I don’t want to distract from that just because my love life is in the shitter.”

Varric scratched at the stubble on his chin. “Now that’s odd. You said this wasn’t going to last and you knew that from the beginning? Why would he just up and tell you his secrets, whatever lies he’s made to you, when he would just be leaving.” His eyebrow went up at her look, “Not that hard to put together. It has all the makings of a great story, but that part. It doesn’t make any sense. You don’t just go and spill all your secrets midstory. That’s just bad buildup.” He didn’t like the feeling. There was a story going on here and he didn’t know all the details. It bothered him. “I’m sure whatever he said between you was for your ears only, so I’ll keep my nose out of it. You just say the word though, and I’ll give him a piece of my mind for hurting you.”

Evelyn felt the knot in her throat again and she nodded, tears spilling from her eyes again. “Thanks, Varric,” she whispered brokenly. It felt good to know that at least her friend cared about her. She carefully offered little Lily back to him. “I think she’s out,” she said softly and got to her feet once she was certain he had the little one securely in his arms. She managed a smile for him. “You and Cassandra make beautiful babies.”

He chuckled, “Thanks,” and nodded his head over at the sleeping Seeker. “But she did most of the hard work. I try not to take too much credit for that,” he said as he settled Lily in her crib, tucking her into the covers, “Come on, let me get you a blanket and a pillow. You can sleep here.”

She nodded gratefully. “Thanks, Varric.”


	12. Chapter 12

Cassandra was the first to wake the next morning, as was usual in their home. A sleepy smile pulled at her lips as she watched her husband sleep, and she curled around the tiny form of their son who was snuggled against her. She kissed the top of Anthony’s head, reached over to gently move a few strands of Varric’s hair out of his face, then got out of bed. Neither of them would wake until she brought up breakfast from downstairs, she was sure of it. 

A cry of surprise escaped her when she saw Evelyn asleep on the floor near the fireplace and Cassandra had to clap a hand over her mouth. “Maker,” she breathed, wondering why on earth the Inquisitor was asleep in their rooms and not in Solas’s. But she decided to let the other woman sleep, at least until breakfast was ready.

She returned quickly with their food and set it on the table, then went to rouse her husband and son, both of which groaned and tried to ignore her until she insisted they get up. 

“Inquisitor,” she said, shaking Evelyn’s shoulder. “Come have some breakfast.”

Evelyn blinked slowly, finding herself staring at the smouldering coals of last night’s fire, and for a moment she wondered why she was laying on the floor. But the next instant it all came rushing back to her and she pressed her lips together so hard they trembled. “I’m not hungry,” she murmured, curling in on herself as her already aching eyes began to sting.

Cassandra realized then that the Inquisitor had been crying. Evelyn’s voice was thick as though she had a horrible head-cold, and her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. “No,” Cassandra said firmly, “You must get up. We have work to do and we cannot do it without you. Besides, I need you to make sure those two don’t try to sneak back to bed while I wake the others,” she said, thumbing over her shoulder at Varric and Anthony.

Evelyn let out a rather childish whine, but got to her feet and stumbled over to the table, flopping herself down in a seat. “Fine. But she can’t force me to eat anything,” she muttered stubbornly and crossed her arms over her chest as Cassandra left to get everyone else up for breakfast.

A laugh forced its self from Varric’s lips before he could stop himself. “Oh Evie, you really don’t know Cassandra. You think she hasn’t heard that tune before? Best to save yourself some dignity and eat anyway,” he said as he sat up with a groan and rubbed his head, looking around for his tunic that he had tossed onto a nearby chair and moved to get up and tug it on, before he stopped and thought better of it, going instead to the wardrobe for a fresh shirt. 

He looked over at his son and shook his head. “Come on, kiddo. You don’t want everyone else to eat your share of breakfast,” he said as he tugged the covers off of the little boy, grinning as he picked up the dead weight. “Yeah, you keep trying that trick. Never works, does it?” he asked as he plopped the kid down next to Evelyn.

Anthony slumped over the table and snored loudly, though a smile pulled at his lips and he wasn’t able to maintain it for long. He giggled to himself and finally popped upright with a grin. “It will work someday!” he said and began to help himself to the food on the table, seemingly wide awake now.

“Wish I could wake up that fast,” Evelyn muttered to herself as Cassandra returned, other members of their inner circle following behind her. She looked down at her plate, chewing her lip. She didn’t want to answer questions and she wondered if her face looked as bad as it felt. 

Varric kept an eye on Evie as he made up a plate for her, sliding it in front of her before he prepared another plate for himself. “How are you feeling this morning?” 

She shrugged. “I’m fine,” she lied, frowning slightly at the food he’d placed in front of her. “I just want to deal with these Draak and get out of here, go back to Skyhold. Never thought I’d actually miss the place…” she murmured, poking her eggs around with a fork.

Bull sat himself down at the table with a sigh and reached for the food. “As soon as we pick a place to lure them to, we’re good to go. Already spoke to Rocky about it. He’s even more excited about it than I thought he would be. Finally gets to test out his version of Qunari black powder,” he chuckled.

Dorian slumped against Bull as he pulled his own plate towards himself, looking down at the empty plate before he pushed it towards the Qunari, hoping it would be full the next time he pulled it back. “Yes, just make sure I am far... far away from the blast radius when he does. I still don’t trust him. No offense. I remember the last time he tried to set off that stuff. They are still trying to fill in that section of the Wounded Coast,” he said, spying Evie’s puffy eyes and his own narrowed as he wondered who had made her cry. He noticed that Solas was suspiciously absent from the table.

“Spoiled,” Bull growled around a mouthful of food and fixed Dorian’s plate for him. He slid it back to him, following the mage’s gaze. He shook his head slightly at Dorian, trying to convey it wasn’t their business. Though he doubted Dorian would listen to him. “We could always have you stay to protect Anthony, Kadan. Wherever we decide to hide him while we do this. And I say the sooner we do it, the better. Don’t give those things enough time to come up with plans of their own.”

Evelyn nodded her agreement. “The sooner the better,” she repeated. “Let’s do it tonight.”

Cassandra sighed as she watched Sera filling her plate. How such a tiny elf could eat so much food was beyond her. “That is all well and good, but we have many details to work out before we do this. If we are going to try this tonight, we must make sure we know exactly what we’re doing. We will only have one attempt to get this right.”

Blackwall chewed thoughtfully on his toast. “That’s a good idea. I can stay here, back up Dorian. Just make sure that we have those wards refreshed on all of the entrances before you all head out.” 

Solas stood outside the door, barely peering in. He could see the hurt look on Evie’s face and made up his mind to skip breakfast as he went back to his own room. His heart ached and he hadn’t slept at all the night before. He half expected someone else to come barging into his room to confront him, but to his surprise, no one did. She had kept her word to him. He closed his eyes and went back to the window, laying his forehead against the cool surface. “Ar lath…” He trailed off, it was no use now.

* * *

 

The rest of breakfast was spent ironing out the details of their plan, then Bull went downstairs to explain it all to the Chargers and sent them on to the determined spot to set up the trap. In truth, he was a little excited to see if Rocky’s powder would work. He jokingly told Krem to bring some of the nugs he’d sewn, just to see how high they would fly in the blast. 

Evening came before they knew it, the day seeming to pass faster than they had anticipated. Bull pulled Dorian aside just as they were preparing to head out. “Set your wards as soon as Cassandra and Varric leave. And remember not to open the door until morning,” he said in a low voice. “Be careful, Kadan. We’ll be back at sunrise.”

Dorian gripped Bull’s arms tightly as he could, his fingers could never span the bulk of the Qunari’s muscles. “You had better be or I swear I’ll bring you back so I can kill you myself. Don’t think that I won’t,” he said fiercely as his eyes searched Bull’s good eye. “You had better come back to me and in one piece, Amatus,” he said before he reached up, cupping the scarred cheek, brushing his thumb over his lips. 

Bull leaned down to capture Dorian’s lips, pulling him into a tight embrace, kissing him just the way he knew would leave Dorian’s knees weak. He pulled back with a smirk. “I promised I’d come back,” he chuckled. “I never said anything about in one piece.” He nearly laughed at the look on Dorian’s face. He slapped a hand to the mage’s ass, giving it a squeeze, then turned to head out the door. “See ya, Kadan.”

“Why I..!” He growled a moment, watching Bull walk away a moment before he reached back and rubbed his stinging flesh. “Savage,” he hissed, his heart thudding in his chest like it did back when they first started their relationship. 

“You like it,” Sera purred in Dorian’s ear, then ran out the door after Bull, giggling like mad, hollering for the Qunari to wait up.

Evelyn exchanged a look with Dorian and slowly shook her head, shrugging her shoulders. “Don’t look at me like that. I have no control over them,” she said. She’d been trying to remain lighthearted all afternoon, to shut away the part of her that was hurting. And to be fair, she thought she was doing at least a half-ass decent job of it. “You know I’ve always kept them around for sheer entertainment.”

She snickered to herself before she looked between him and Blackwall. “Keep the children safe. Like Bull said, we’ll be back by sunrise,” she said before she looked at Cassandra and Varric. “Give us a headstart before you head that way and we’ll be ready to help drive any Draak we can towards the black powder. And we’ll get you out before it blows.”

Cassandra gave a curt nod, but didn’t speak. There was a lump in her throat she couldn’t quite swallow as she worried over her husband and her children. It was a dangerous plan, but then again, everything they seemed to do was dangerous. She should’ve been used to it by now. Using herself for bait was fine, but using Varric as well? That didn’t sit well with her.

Solas made sure to walk somewhat separately from the group as they headed out away from the city. It would not do well to have a confrontation now. After it was all over, he would go, just like he had after Corypheus had been defeated. At least, that was the plan he kept telling himself over and over. There was a part of him that was stubborn, that wanted to fall down on his knees in front of Evie and beg her forgiveness. He knew better. 

Evie walked between Bull and Sera, her shoulders squared and her jaw set. She’d managed to avoid Solas for the most part that day, but now she was even more determined to ignore him. She was afraid she’d break down in tears again if she looked at him. And she needed to focus on the task at hand. A smile pulled at her lips as Sera linked arms with her.

“Cheer up, you,” Sera said. “This is going to be grand. Just think about how big this explosion’s going to be. And then no more of those nasty things crawling all over the place. Ugh!”

* * *

Cassandra kissed her children, then gathered up the bundle of blankets in her arms that was roughly the size of Anthony. She silently prayed the Draak would fall for this. Long shadows were falling across the city now and she looked to Varric. “We’ve given them long enough. We should get going,” she said.

Varric gave his little girl one last look before he turned back to his wife and Dorian who was standing nearby. Blackwall was walking around making sure everything was locked up tight. “Yeah, don’t want to keep those bastards waiting,” he said, walking for the front door, ruffling his son’s hair as he went, “Now, mind your Uncle. Make sure he stays out of trouble while we’re gone.”

“Ha ha, Varric,” Dorian said with his arms crossed, before he looked back at Cassandra, cupping her cheek. “Stay safe out there. Don’t think my threat to Bull applies only to him,” he said seriously before he let his hand drop and nodded to Varric as he took his staff off his back, “Your children will be safe. I swear upon my life.”

Cassandra threw her arm around Dorian, hugging him tightly. “We’ll be back. And you shall read me stories until I fall asleep,” she stated firmly before she pulled back. Drawing a sharp breath, she strode out the front door with Varric, only glancing over her shoulder once to ensure that Dorian put a ward up as they left. 

She cradled the bundle of blankets as if she were carrying her child as they walked. It wasn’t hard to look worried and suspicious as she went. “We must hurry,” she said, though she knew Varric didn’t need telling. She went over the plan in her head again and again as they walked. There was a gorge outside the city where they would lure the Draak and hopefully trap them, already set up with Rocky’s black powder. “I almost expected Anthony to demand to come with us so he could see this,” she commented.

“To be honest, I think Dorian might have bribed him into staying with more chocolate.” He gave her a sly look, “Since when do you like Dorian telling you stories more than me?” He grinned despite the danger they were in, “You liked that time I read you Swords and Shields. Though, we didn’t get very far.”

“That is the problem. There is no chance of that happening with Dorian,” she said. “And to be fair, he is reading me your stories.” She sighed and reached over to squeeze his shoulder affectionately. “If you insist, you can read me stories tomorrow night,” she said, trying to hide the smirk on her lips. “But only if you buy me more cakes to eat while you read.”

He chuckled and slipped his arm around her waist. “Oh I think that can be arranged,” he said with a grin, “Just as soon as we make sure this city is safe.” He looked over his shoulder as they neared the edge of the city, “Just a little bit more before we reach the area we decided on. Hopefully those damn things are following us.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe I just said that.”

Cassandra paused in their steps, listening carefully. In the distance, she could just faintly hear movement and the strange clicking and hissing noises she’d come to know as the Draak. “They’re out there. Now we just have to draw attention to ourselves,” she said, her stomach twisting in nervousness. She met his eyes questioningly. “Ready?” she asked. She leaned over to give him a fierce, passionate kiss, savoring it one last time just in case something went wrong. She pulled back, a bit breathless, then said in a loud, overdone voice, “Varric! We must hurry! We cannot let them take Anthony from us!”

Varric was a bit breathless from the kiss, still reeling from it, but then he recovered at her loud voice and pulled his crossbow from his back, cocking it, “I’d like to see them try, Seeker!” 

She ran then, hearing the skittering and hissing growing louder. Oh, she was going to kill Sera for this plan if something went wrong. Knowing her stride was much longer than Varric’s, she didn’t run as fast as she could; she refused to leave him behind. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing the Draak coming into view as they gave chase, making those haunting noises, seemingly communicating with each other. “I think it’s working,” she panted as they ran. 

* * *

Bull turned when he heard the commotion coming their way. He reached out and thumped Solas’s arm, nodding in the direction he could hear them. “Here they come,” he said, drawing his axe, prepared to fight any that came their way. He could see the shapes at the front, the tall, slender form of the Seeker and the shorter, stout silhouette of the dwarf. “Run,” he growled under his breath as if he could somehow push them faster, make them stay a safe distance ahead of the Draak.

Evelyn watched with a pounding heart as her friends ran into the death trap. Her eyes flicked to the dead end of the gorge where Krem and the other Chargers waited with ropes to pull Cassandra and Varric out. The Draak could climb the walls, they knew that, but hopefully when Cassandra dropped the bundle of blankets, it would give them just enough time to get out before the blast went off. “Shit,” she breathed.

Sera narrowed her eyes, watching the Draak. “That’s a lot of them,” she muttered, raising her bow and taking aim at one that was a little too close to Varric for her liking. A smirk played across her lips as it fell. “Oh, they’re making this too easy,” she said and turned to look at Evelyn, but instead found herself nose-to-nose with Cole. “FUCK!” she screamed and stumbled back, nearly slipping over the edge of the gorge and had to grab onto him to stop herself. “I forgot you were there! Were you there before? Shite…”

Cole steadied her on her feet, not letting go until he was certain she wouldn’t fall. “Probably,” he said in answer to her question before he went to crouch on the edge, looking on at the Draak as they ran. “There is a lot of them. Run. Faster, they have the one. The one that we can make to make the screaming stop inside. We must get the boy.” He lifted his head as Cassandra and Varric made it to the end of the boxed in section.

Cassandra nearly slammed into the wall as they reached the end and she fumbled in the darkness to grab hold of the rope waiting for them. She fit her boot into the loop at the end and held on tightly as it began to pull her up. Her heart pounded in her chest, her breath short as the Draak drew closer. She gave a cry as the bundle of blankets “slipped” from her hand and rolled away from her. Her eyes went wide as the Draak went after it, forgetting their pursuit of her and Varric. She clung to the rope and looked at Varric. “It worked!” she hissed at him, excitement in her eyes.

“Ugh, never say that until the plan is completely over with!” he said urgently back at her as they were pulled over the top of the wall by the Chargers. He turned on his knees, looking back to where Rocky was with the fuse as he struck his flint, lighting it up. It made a noise louder than what he had been expecting, the sparks and hiss as it slid down the long length of it, heading towards where the powder had been stashed.

“RUN!” Krem shouted, tugging at Cassandra’s arm as he and the other Chargers took off away from the edge of the gorge. He didn’t know how big the explosion was going to be, but he knew that Rocky had packed the floor of that place with as much powder as he could get his hands on. 

Bull watched the spark travel down the wall, following the fuse. The Draak hadn’t seemed to notice it yet. They were still fumbling to reach the bundle of blankets that had rolled from Cassandra’s arms. He braced himself, ready to run as soon as the spark got near the bottom of the gorge. His eye went wide the next moment when the fuse flickered and died. “Shiiiiit,” he growled. “Now what? That fuse went out. We have to do something and fast!”

Solas’ eyes widened as he watched the fuse go out. The Draak wouldn’t be distracted by the empty bundle of blankets for long. They were still tearing them apart, looking for the boy. He summoned fire to the end of his staff, aiming for the last place he had seen the fuse, but it hit rock and fizzled out. The next shot hit a Draak and the hoard of remaining monsters started to look towards their way. “This is no good! I can’t see the target or those things are in the way!”

Thinking fast, Sera grabbed one of her arrows and held out the feathered end to Solas. “Light this!” she commanded, then looked to Bull. “Toss me. You can throw me far enough to reach that fuse and we’ll end these fuckers!”

“Sera! You’ll be killed!” Evelyn protested. “I can’t let you do this!”

“No time for arguin’,” Sera shot back. “This is our only chance to stop those things. I’m not lettin’ Varric and Cassandra lose another kid! Now do it!” she insisted, brandishing the fletchings of her arrow at Solas again.

Solas couldn’t see how arguing with her would be productive. The fact that she suggested something so selfless floored him to no end and he quickly swiped his hand over her arrows, lighting them on fire. “In the name of mayhem, wasn’t it?”

Sera’s face split in a huge grin and she gave a nod. “Mayhem.”

Bull felt sick with himself, but couldn’t see any way around it. He grabbed Sera up and spun in a circle, tossing her with all his strength towards the end of the gorge where the fuse had gone out. For years he’d wanted to do that, but not like this and it was with a bitter taste in his mouth that he roared, "MAYHEM!"  


Sera cried out as she hit the wall and slid down it, the breath knocked from her lungs. She could smell the Draak, it made her eyes water, but she spied the end of the fuse that led to the kegs of black powder buried just beneath the ground. Blood dripped from her nose as she stood defiantly as the Draak nearest to her turned and hissed, baring their fangs in the light of her burning arrows. “Die, you slimy bastards,” she snarled and touched the flame to the fuse.

“Sera,” Evelyn gasped in horror, her heart breaking for her friend. She squeezed her eyes shut, her face screwing up as she fought the urge to scream. Never would she have guessed that it would come to this. 

Cole’s eyes widened as he saw the fuse heading for the ground and he watched as Sera turned, trying to find her way up the wall, but slipping down. “She’s not going to make it!” he shouted as he stood up on his feet and vanished in a puff of smoke. He appeared a few feet from her. “SERA!” he yelled as he threw himself at her, his long arms wrapping around her tightly.

“You idiot!” she shouted at him. “Get out of here while you can!” She didn’t want to die alone, there was something strangely comforting about having him there with her, but she didn’t want anyone else to die needlessly. “Go! There’s no time! You’ll be-”

Evelyn ran with Bull and Solas away from the gorge, but skidded to a stop and looked back as the ear-shattering thunder of the powder went off. Huge flames erupted into the night sky, the bodies of the Draak flung high into the air. “SERA!” she screamed and stumbled forward, wrapping her arms around herself.

Bull closed his eye and bowed his head. He placed a heavy hand on her shoulder, feeling the loss of their friend just as strongly as she did. There were no words for Sera’s sacrifice. He never thought he’d ever see her pull something like that. And yet her plan had worked. “She didn’t die in vain, boss,” he said solemnly. 

Solas watched as the flames only grew higher into the night sky, closing his eyes against the loss. Cole had been in there as well. It was another needless death. “Yet another thing that is my fault.” His voice was thick with grief. “I should have been able to hit the fuse. She didn’t have to... She shouldn’t have died like that,” he said, feeling tears slip down his cheeks as he looked up at the fiery pit in front of them, before he chanced looking at Evie.

“THAT… WAS…  _ GLORIOUS .” _

Evelyn whipped around at the sound of Sera’s voice, her eyes widening when she saw the elf and the spirit standing there. Sera had a look of wonder in her eyes as she watched the fire, pieces of the Draak bodies raining down from the sky. “Sera? Cole? But how did you-?!” Evelyn gasped in total bewilderment.

Cole smiled widely. “I didn’t know I could do that either!” he said excitedly. “But I figured that since I am... more human than I was, but I could still slip through the Veil, I thought I could help Sera do that as well! It worked!” he said smiling happily, giving Sera a big grin.

Solas blinked at the spirit, “That... makes no sense at all. I have never heard of a spirit being able to transport another person like that.”

He heard Varric laughing with relief. “What do I keep telling you, Chuckles? He isn’t just another spirit.” He had his arm around Cassandra’s waist, looking back over the pit that was still burning strongly, “Don’t think our work’s over for the night, gotta make sure none of those monsters made it out of there alive and finish off any that did.”

Sera was shaking with adrenaline. She didn’t think she’d ever been so close to death before. Before she could second guess herself, she turned and flung her arms around Cole in a tight hug. “You’re not so bad, yeah?”

Cole smiled and hugged Sera back tightly, “I wasn’t about to let you die. We’re family, aren’t we? Family doesn’t leave anyone behind.” Sera was warm, thankful, heart beating fast. _He can’t be all that bad if he saved my life at the risk of his own._

“And now I’ve seen everything,” Bull said, shaking his head as he walked back towards the edge of the gorge, watching for any sign of movement from the Draak that might’ve escaped. He clapped Rocky on the shoulder as the Chargers walked up beside him. “Good work.”

“We need more excuses to use that stuff,” Krem commented, watching the flames with an excitement in his eyes. “I can make more nugs…”

Rocky grinned, puffing out his chest proudly, “I told you I almost had it.”

* * *

 

Only a handful of Draak made it out of the explosion and were quickly dealt with. It was the wee hours of the morning before the flames began to die down and they decided it was time to head back to the Hanged Man, Bull muttering that Dorian was probably a nervous wreck by now.

Evelyn hesitated as the others headed out and she looked over at Solas. She didn’t know what to feel in that moment. Hurt, angry, yet some part of her feared for him venturing out on his own again. She hadn’t spoken a word to him since their fight the night before. “You leaving now?” she asked in a surprisingly even tone.

He turned towards her, feeling his chest clench tightly. “I know I said I would stay a few days after the problem had been dealt with, but,” he sighed, “I do not want to cause you any more pain than I have already done so, but I want you to know how much the past week meant to me. Being able to tell someone all of my wrongs, I was glad that it was you.”

She felt the tears well up in her eyes. “Don’t do this,” she whispered and covered her face with her hands. She didn’t want to hear that he cared. She wanted to hate him. She wiped at her eyes and let her hands drop. “I think the problem’s been dealt with,” she said thickly. “Don’t worry yourself about it anymore. Just… go do whatever it is you need to do. I’ll tell the others you were called away,” she said numbly. She was so conflicted. She wanted him to leave and yet she didn’t want to say goodbye. She rubbed at her forehead, mentally scolding herself for being such a glutton for punishment. “Shit,” she breathed, screwing up her face against the headache she could feel coming on. “Well, as long as you feel better. I guess that’s something,” she said in a monotone.

“I do not feel better. While it was liberating to share with one person my past, it pains me to no end that it I betrayed you, hurt you. What would you have me do, Evie? What could I do?” He breathed as he leaned on his staff, as he looked at her, “Ma vhenan.”

Evie let her eyes close slowly, tears sliding down her cheeks. Did he have to call her that now? “Stop,” she pleaded before she met his eyes again. He looked so damn sincere, like this hurt him just as much as it hurt her. “Just… why won’t you let me hate you?!” she suddenly cried, feeling her temper snap. “I can’t trust you anymore and yet I can’t make myself stop loving you! I…” She gasped as the words slipped out and she froze, her pulse pounding in her ears. 

Solas bowed his head to her. “Ar lath ma,” he said, “I cannot ask you to trust me again, but I would like the chance to earn it from you again.” He swallowed hard and turned from her, though it felt as if his legs were filled with lead. “But you need time. I understand.”

It was so tempting to forgive him, to somehow push aside the fact that he had lied to her, betrayed her, used her. And yet, at the same time, she couldn’t. “No,” she said, taking a step in the direction the others had gone. “I’m going back to Skyhold. I can’t go through this again. And I will never trust you.” She had to swallow to keep herself from breaking down again. “Goodbye, Solas,” she said and followed after her friends, anxious to get back to the city and away from him before she changed her mind.


	13. Chapter 13

Bull knocked on the door to the Hanged Man just as the sun started to creep over the horizon. He gave Dorian a roguish grin when the mage opened the door. “Told ya I’d be back, Kadan,” he rumbled in a low voice. “And look. I’m even in one piece.”

“Well, you certainly took your time!” The mage said sternly as he stood up from the table he had been keeping watch from. He shouldn’t run over to the Qunari like one of those cliche, blushing brides waiting for their hero to come home. He just quickly walked over and threw his arms around the man’s neck, kissing him fiercely for a long moment. “Are they all dead?”

Bull chuckled and wrapped his arms around Dorian. “Yeah, they’re all dead,” he answered. “Now you can sleep again at night.” Though he said it in a joking tone, he hoped it was the truth. The memories of what had been done to him wouldn’t soon be forgotten, but he hoped that in time Dorian would rest easier knowing that there were no more of those things to come after them. 

“Maker, I never thought we’d see the day,” Cassandra breathed as she entered the tavern, slinging off her shield as she went. She turned to look behind her as everyone else entered. “Where are the Inquisitor and Solas?” she asked. “I could have sworn they were right behind us.” 

Varric gave Cassandra a look. “They were behind me, but I think that they hung back to have a little talk. Or a big one. I’m not sure, but I wanted to stay out of it,” he said as he shut the door behind them all, “I take it the night was all quiet on this end?”

Blackwall chuckled, “Yeah, kids slept soundly and there was no sight of hide or tail of those beasts. We could hear the explosion from here though. Must have been quite the sight.” 

“Oh it was,” Sera breathed, her eyes still glossed over as though she had never seen anything more spectacular in her life. “You should have seen it. Best… plan… ever.” She seemed to finally snap out of it the next moment. “So! Who’s up for some beer for breakfast?”

Evelyn slipped through the front door of the Hanged Man and shut it quietly behind her. She’d figured everyone had already gone up to Varric’s room and that maybe she could just sneak into one of the other rooms upstairs and hide for the day. But there was no such luck. Everyone was still downstairs, recounting the adventure from their different viewpoints. 

“Evie!” Sera cried gleefully, raising her mug high over her head. “Come have a drink with us! We’re celebratin’!”

“No thanks, Sera,” she said in a hollow tone. She figured she might as well say it and get it over with, maybe they would leave her alone for the day. “Solas is gone. He left to… do some work someplace else. I don’t know where. He was very vague about it.” She felt her throat constrict again. There was no changing her mind now. She had no way of knowing where he went or how far he had already gone. It would be impossible to find him, especially if he didn’t want to be found by anyone.

Varric raised an eyebrow at the Inquisitor, not quite buying that story, given what he knew from when he had found her laying on the floor of his bedroom asleep with tears dried on her cheeks. He would have to uncover that one at a later time. His keen senses were telling him that it was too soon, too fresh for her to want to talk about it. “Go on and get some rest, Inquisitor. The celebration isn’t going anywhere for a while,” he said. 

Dorian tried to catch Varric’s eye, but the dwarf was sneaky and wouldn’t do it. He huffed and looked at Bull, lowering his voice, “I don’t suppose you are going to clue me into what’s going on? And don’t say you don’t know. You know everything.”

The corner of Bull’s mouth twitched. “I don’t know everything, Kadan,” he answered in an equally hushed tone. “But my guess is Solas broke her heart. I don’t know what he did. Obviously they weren’t able to work it out. Too bad. They were both happier together.” Whatever it was, Bull figured it had to be pretty bad. He’d always known Evelyn to be an understanding person and he was surprised that they hadn’t worked out whatever went wrong.

Evelyn was grateful to be excused from the party and she nodded, heading a little too quickly up the stairs. She stopped when she got to the hallway, remembering that Bull and Dorian had taken the room she’d claimed previously. With a huff, she went into Solas’s room. “Now I’m really torturing myself,” she muttered as she closed the door and looked around. There was nothing left of his belongings, yet it was as if she could see his touch on everything in that room. A sob escaped her and she stumbled forward, pitching herself face-first on the bed to curl around the pillow. It still smelled like him. And she cried even harder.

Cole felt the pull of the Inquisitor even before she made it to the Hanged Man. He let himself step through the Veil until he was perched on the footboard, looking down at her sobbing form. Her sadness wrapped around him and he could see the tangled hurt. “Betrayal, hot, burning, confusion. I don’t want to love him. I want to hate him.” He tilted his head at her, “He didn’t mean to hurt you. He wanted to spare you from more hurt. He was hurting for a long time. A thousand years of guilt eating away at his heart. Daunting task still lies ahead. I don’t want to be alone anymore. Please let her understand why.”

She blinked her eyes as tears dripped down her nose, listening to Cole as he spoke both her feelings and Solas’. “I don’t understand though,” she sobbed. “Why he wasn’t just honest with me from the beginning. Or why he had to tell me at all. Couldn’t he have just left well enough alone?! And why can’t I make it stop hurting?” She curled tighter around the pillow, screaming in her head at herself for letting him go. “I shouldn’t have told him to leave,” she squeaked miserably.

“He was betrayed by those he trusted most. Cold, sharp, stinging pain, like a knife in the back. He tried to make everything better and it only ended up worse. He wanted to tell you the truth. You are the one person he has learned he can trust since his betrayal. He didn’t want you to be in love with a lie when he is in love with the truth.”

Evelyn rolled his words around in her head. Somehow it made her feel better and worse at the same time. She hadn’t even considered the fact that Solas had been betrayed before and how that must’ve hurt him. She was so wrapped up in her own hurt that his didn’t even cross her mind. She peered at Cole out of the corner of her eye. “Can’t you just make me forget?” she asked hopefully. “Make him forget so we both stop hurting?”

“I couldn’t even if I still could. You are too close, too entangled in each other. You both don’t want to forget and that wouldn’t take the pain away. You both need to be real to each other. You are what you both need to be happy. To chase away the hurt. He has no more lies to tell. He is done hiding. You made him so happy when you were together. He wants to be himself with you. He is done hiding.” He looked up and off into the distance. “He will be leaving soon. Wanting, lingering, I am a fool. I should just go now. He is on his way, past where the mountain was sundered.”

She sat up, the impulse to go after Solas was so strong in that moment. “Cole, are you sure I can trust him now?” she asked, wanting to believe the spirit was right. “I’m so hurt, if he lies to me again, I don’t know if I can handle it…” Her hands shook, she was tired from the long night and the mental exhaustion of it all, but there was a renewed energy within her now. What if he did betray her again? But then, what if he didn’t? What if they really could be happy together? 

She got to her feet. It would bother her more in the long run to always wonder what-if. “Cole, I need you to do me a favor,” she said, looking at the door. “I need you to go to Cullen, tell him I’m not coming back to Skyhold just yet. I don’t know when I will be back, but that I’m with Solas and I’ll be fine. Can you do that for me?”

Cole nodded and smiled. “Everything will be alright, Evie. You don’t need to worry. I will tell Cullen,” he said, feeling her hope rising. It would be up to her and Solas to mend each other, but he had faith that they would be alright. “Be careful out there,” he said before he vanished in a puff of smoke, back down to the festivities below.

Evelyn quickly gathered up her things, wondering how far Solas had gotten already. She wondered if they would be able to put themselves back together, if she could really forgive him and put it all behind her. She kept telling herself over and over in her head that he hadn’t meant to hurt her. He wasn’t like her first love. That man had set out to intentionally deceive her. Solas had not. He was trying to make things right, even though it had gone all wrong. And she was suddenly angry at the gods who had betrayed him in the first place, who had forced his hand like this. 

She slung her pack and her bow over her shoulder and ran down the stairs and through the tavern, not even stopping as she saw her inner circle look at her with alarm.

“Where are you going, boss?” Bull called out, getting to his feet, prepared to join her.

“I’m going after Solas!” she called over her shoulder and ran out of the Hanged Man, the door slamming shut behind her. 

The morning sun was blinding as she ran, but she pressed on, desperate to catch up with Solas before he got too far ahead of her. What would she say to him? A million options crossed her mind and none of them seemed very good. It didn’t matter. She just wanted to see him again, to tell him she was sorry for being so hateful. She was the first person he had chosen to share his story with and she threw it back in his face. 

She traveled as fast as she could, but there was no sign of Solas anywhere. He must’ve started out as soon as she told him to leave and had quite a good start on her. Her heart sank as she continued on. “Solas?” she called, though she had little hope of him answering her. Her shoulders slumped and she walked on, continuing in the direction Cole had pointed her. 

The trees around her began to grow more dense and she became fearful of losing her way. “Damn elf. Of course he’d pick a path through a bunch of trees,” she grumbled to herself. “He’s making this really hard to forgive him. I should’ve just sent Cole to him, made him come and meet me…” 

She gasped as she stepped into a small clearing and found herself surrounded by a clan of Dalish elves. The looks of distrust and hostility on their faces was not missed by her and she immediately held up her hands. “I don’t mean to intrude,” she said, knowing she was greatly outnumbered. “I’m just looking for my friend. His name is Solas, he’s an elf. He didn’t pass through here by chance, did he?” she asked nervously and took a step back, her hands still in the air.

“Shemlen!” A hunter hissed and several more elves rushed to their weapons. Bows were trained on her intently. One of the hunters came forward, a scowl on his face and he yanked her forward, pushing her to her knees. “We are getting tired of being intruded upon! First the Draak come to steal away our people, our children! Then that flat ear and now you. You will not be tolerated!” he said pressing a drawn arrow to her head. 

He didn’t get a chance to loose his arrow as the next moment the entire clan was engulfed in ice, freezing everyone in their place. Solas stepped out into the clearing, viewing the elves with a look of distaste. “You will not harm her,” he hissed as he looked around them all, shaking his head before he hurried over to Evelyn. “Are you alright?” His heart was pounding, he had just left not long ago, but he had heard her calling his name and knew the trouble she had been about to walk in. He reached down to her to help her up.

She let him pull her to her feet, shaking slightly. She’d been certain they were going to kill her. “Solas,” she gasped. There was a knot in her throat as she looked at him, making it hard for her to breathe, to speak. “I’m so sorry,” she breathed, her voice nearly a whisper. “I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. I’m so sorry.”

“Shhh,” he said pulling her to him, “There is a time and place for this conversation. These people will thaw soon and they will not survive me freezing them again. Come,” he said as he tugged her back the way he came. “I am afraid I do not have a conventional mount for you to ride, but we need to make some time. May I take you back to the Wounded Coast?”

“Ah, sure,” she said, wondering what on earth he meant by ‘traditional mount’ but she was eager to get away from the Dalish clan. She curled her hand around his and a comfort eased her heart at the feel of his long fingers in hers again. “Let’s hurry.”

He smiled and stopped when the clan was out of sight and he passed her his staff. “Hold this for a moment,” he said as he stepped away from her. His hands glowed greenish blue before the magic drifted over him and the next moment he fell forward onto paws and he looked back at her as a large, six eyed white wolf. He bowed his head down before her, lowering his front so she could slide on.

Evelyn gasped and stumbled back, her eyes wide. “The hell?!” she cried. She watched him with a wary eye, seeing the way he bowed to her. With a shaking hand, she reached out, sliding her fingers through the impossibly soft, thick fur. “I’ve lost my damn mind,” she murmured as she climbed onto his back and grabbed onto his fur, taking care not to pull it too harshly. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m trusting you, Solas,” she said carefully, trying to keep her balance as he move to stand upright again.

Solas turned his head, nuzzling at her leg a moment before he turned and started to dash through the trees, careful enough to make sure that she wouldn’t slide from his back. It was so good to be able to take this form again. To be able to share it with someone, but it was nothing compared to the words she said to him. That she had been sorry. That she trusted him. All too soon, they broke through the tree line and he stopped short as they stood on a cliff that overlooked the Waking Sea and the rocky beach. He stopped and looked back at the Inquisitor on his back.

She carefully slid from his back, her knees feeling a bit weak. He was far faster than any horse she’d ever ridden. “Andraste’s tits,” she breathed and carefully set his staff down, afraid it was going to slip from her shaking hand. “Thank you,” she said softly, “If you hadn’t found me when you did, I think they really would have killed me.” She moved to sit down and rested her elbows on her knees, looking out at the sea.

With a flick of his tail he was standing again, taking his staff back from her as he smiled at her, before her words caught up with him and he nodded. “They would have. They are one of the Dalish clans in this area who are not overly fond of humans. They were in trouble with the Draak and I took it upon myself to aid them in ridding themselves of their problem. They were not as... receptive as I had hoped.” He tilted his head at her. “I must admit, I did not think you would follow me after our last conversation,” he said, hesitantly reaching out and taking her hand, “Why did you?”

She let him twine their fingers together and she met his eyes. “I didn’t think I would either,” she said. “But Cole… well, he helped me see that I was wrong. That I needed to give you another chance.” She felt so nervous now, talking to him after all the things she’d said to him. It made her feel wretched. “That is, if you’re willing to give me another chance?” she asked softly.

He felt his breath leave him in a rush and he sent a silent thank you to the spirit as he pulled Evie into his arms. He buried his face into her neck, barely daring to believe it. “You have every reason to be mad at me. To not trust me. I can only promise you that I will never lie to you again.” He pulled back and studied her face, cupping her cheek in his hand, “Are you certain about this?” 

She curled her hands around his wrists, leaning into his touch a bit. “I’m not saying I’m not still a little hurt. But you have every right to be mad at me as well. I didn’t even give you a chance to really explain yourself. I could’ve handled it a lot better,” she said. “But I know that if I let you walk away now, I will never forgive myself. I care about you too much, Solas. I want to give us a chance, if you do.”

“There is nothing that would bring me more pleasure than that.” He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers. “But I cannot stay here, I have so much work to be done. It would be better if I walked the path ahead of me alone. I would ask you to come with me, but I would never be so cruel. I could never take away the Inquisitor.”

“No,” she said fiercely and met his eyes again. “I almost lost you. You’re not leaving me behind. I’m coming with you.” The thought of him leaving now was almost too much to bear and she felt her eyes sting again. “Please, Solas, don’t leave me now,” she softly begged, rubbing her nose affectionately against his. “I want to be with you. Please, ma vhenan?”

He pulled his head back, brushing away the tears that slipped down her cheeks. When they didn’t stop, he leaned back in and kissed them away before he pressed his lips to hers, pulling her tightly against him, feeling his heart soar. “How could I leave you behind, my heart?” he breathed against her. 

She hugged him back just as tightly, clinging to him as though she was afraid he might somehow slip away from her. She nuzzled into the side of his neck, the scent of his skin familiar and comforting. A watery laugh escaped her. “I don’t know where we’re going or what work you need to do, but I am not leaving your side. I want to help. If it’s important to you, then it is important to me.” She felt tears slip from her eyes again, but of a different sort this time. She could barely believe that he agreed to take her with him so easily. “I would follow you anywhere.”

He pulled back from her, letting his hand curl around the curve of her neck as he kissed her forehead before pulling back. “You may reconsider that stance in time, but I sincerely hope that you will, if you will allow me to be so selfish,” he said softly, “It will not be easy, but that has never deterred us before. There is no one I would rather have by my side, Evie.” 

She smiled. “You’re not selfish, Solas,” she said softly. She cleared her throat and pulled back slightly from him. “So, ah, what should I call you now?” she asked uncertainly. “Do I still call you Solas? Or would you prefer Fen’harel?” She silently prayed she didn’t butcher the pronunciation of his true name. She’d only heard it spoken a few times.

“You may call me whatever you like,” he said as he pulled back from her, letting their fingers entwine, “When I awoke and saw what I had done to the People and the world because of my prideful actions, I took the name Solas to remind me every day of my faults, my horrible mistakes. It means ‘pride’ in elvish.” He sighed, “And it has been a long time since I have heard my name used as something other than a curse.” 

“Maybe I’ll use both,” she murmured and moved to sit more at his side, leaning her head on his shoulder. It was strange to her to think of him as anything but Solas. That was what she had known him as for so many years now. To think of him as Fen’harel, an ancient elven god, well, it was a bit unnerving. A smirk tugged at her lips and she couldn’t help but to tease him, to try to lighten the mood a little bit. “Maybe I’ll scream it the next time we sleep together,” she said.

He raised an eyebrow and looked at her slightly, a smirk tugging at his lips. “It will certainly give new meaning to the curse ‘may the dread wolf take you,’” he said with a smirk in his voice as he leaned his head against hers, sighing happily. He still felt guilty, but with her at his side, accepting him even with all of his wrongs, all his faults he felt content.

She giggled and nuzzled his cheek. “The dread wolf can take me any time he likes.”  



End file.
